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BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND 
DINNERS 




A SMALL FOLDED NAPKIN AND A SMALL PLATE ARE 
USED TO REMOVE THE CRUMBS FROM 
THE TABLE 



BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS 
AND DINNERS 



HOW TO PLAN THEM 
HOW TO SERVE THEM 
HOW TO BEHAVE AT THEM 



A BOOK FOR SCHOOL AND HOME 



MARY R CHAMBERS, B.S., A.M. 

•I 

Formerly Instructor of Normal Classen in Domestic Science, Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, 
N. Y.; Professor of Domestic Economy and Head of the Department, The 
James Millikin University, Decatur, Illinois; Professor of Chem- 
istry and Home Economics, and Head of the Departments, 
Rockford College, Rockford, Illinois 

Author of Principles of Food Preparation ; A Guide to Laundry Work, Etc. 

ILLUSTRATED 




BOSTON 
THE BOSTON COOKING-SCHOOL MAGAZINE CO. 

1920 



<^^r 



Copyright, 1920 
By The Boston Cooking-School Magazine Company 



THE UNIVERSITY PRESS, CAMBRIDGE, U. S. A. 



SEP 22 1920 

©CI,A576496 



FOREWORD 

To the Teacher 

IN the old-time teaching of Domestic Science the prep- 
aration of a meal was the last thing, — the crowning 
achievement of the student before completing her course 
of study. The progressive teacher now begins the work 
in planning and preparing meals as soon as possible, and 
she spends as little time as may be in the foolish dib-dabs 
of individual dishes where the class period was frittered 
away in the making, by each girl, of one popover, or the 
mashing of one-half of one potato. This book is meant 
to be suggestive to the teacher in her class instruction in 
preparing meals. The section on the Balanced Meals 
may be used by grammar-grade classes in the qualitative 
construction of the daily menus; and the high-school 
classes should be able to plan dietaries quantitatively for 
larger numbers of persons. 

To the Student 

Aside from the help this book is designed to give to 
every girl in her class work in Domestic Science, there is 
another phase of it which she will find useful. In this free 
and democratic country there is no place where the Amer- 
ican girl may not hope to be received as a guest on equal 
terms with the highest in the land. In this book she will 
find many useful hints on that correct behavior at formal 
entertainments which when analyzed is found to be 
merely an expression of that true courtesy which con- 



VI FOREWORD 

siders the pleasure and comfort of another before one's 
own. 

To the Woman in the Home 

Some years ago a witty and well-known writer dsplored 
the fact that, in every block of twenty houses, twenty 
dinners were being cooked by twenty women, involving 
waste of coal and waste of energy, instead of having 
the twenty families go to a public dining-hall. But where 
is the dining-hall, hotel, or restaurant, whose meals, when 
partaken of three times a day for week after week, month 
after month, year after year, do not produce the sense 
of intolerable monotony and of everything tasting alike? 
Where are the hotel and restaurant habitues whose hearts 
do not hanker and whose mouths do not water for ''home 
food and home cooking"? 

Then a newer school of economists arises, to tell us 
that the " cost of coal " standard — the money standard in 
anything — has to give place to the psychic standard, the 
wholesome pleasure that transcends its money cost. The 
home table, the family meals, are a source of this pleasure. 
The woman in the home, who thinks of everybody's 
tastes, who provides for everybody's needs and idiosyn- 
crasies, has in her hands the bestowal of much solid com- 
fort and happiness in the family life. We might almost 
go so far as to say that when the home and family meals 
go, the family will go too, the bond will be weakened 
which so curiously depends on the breaking of bread 
together. 

To the Woman in the Home then, this book is espe- 
cially offered for the help it is hoped it will bring her. 

The thanks of the writer are due to the publishers of 
American Cookery for permission' to include many 



FOREWORD Vll 

menus and recipes which appeared in that magazine. 
Also she desires to acknowledge her indebtedness to the 
publishers of The Queen's Work, St. Louis, Missouri, in 
which first appeared a briefer and less detailed list of the 
foods included in the tables of the last section of this 
book. 



CONTENTS 



The Breakfast 1 

The Light Breakfast — Menus for Light Breakfasts — The 
Moderate Breakfast — Menus for Moderate Breakfasts — 
The Hearty Breakfast — The Formal Breakfast — Menu 
for a Ten O'Clock Company Breakfast — Menu for a 
Twelve O'Clock Company Breakfast — A Warm Weather 
Breakfast — A Cold Weather Breakfast — Digestible and 
Indigestible Foods — Menu for Breakfast when Luncheon 
is Uncertain — The Scientific Breakfast — The English 
Breakfast — When to Go Without Breakfast — A Dietetic 
Study of Breakfast — Time Allowed for Cooking Break- 
fast — Linen for the Breakfast Table — Setting the Break- 
fast Table — Serving the Breakfast — Good Usage in 
Eating Breakfast. 

The Luncheon 29 

The Business Luncheon — The Home Luncheon — Menus 
for Home Luncheons — The Company Luncheon — Dis- 
cussion of Three Kinds of Company Luncheon — Menu 
for a Small and Friendly Luncheon — Menu for a Formal 
Luncheon — Menu for an Elaborate Formal Luncheon — 
The Luncheon Table and Table Linen — Setting and Deco- 
ration of the Luncheon Table — Serving the Luncheon 

— Various Methods of Serving — Dessert vs. Sweet Course 

— Meaning of "Serve," "Offer," and " Remove " — Cor- 
rect Behavior at Luncheon. 

The Dinner 57 

Varieties of Dinner — The Simple Family Dinner — The 
Sunday or Holiday Dinner — The Fish Dinner — The 
Dinner for a Busy Day — The Family Guest Dinner — 
The Home Dinner for a Small Party of Friends — The 
Formal Company Dinner — Menus for Formal Dinners — 
Discussion of the Courses of the Formal Dinner — How 
to Write Invitations for Breakfast, Luncheon, and Dinner 



X CONTENTS 

PAGE 

— The Reply to an Invitation — The Hour for the Com- 
pany Dinner — Table Linen and Decoration — Tempera- 
ture of Dining-Room — How to Set the Cover for Dinner 

— Dinner Dress for Women — Number of Dinner Guests 

— Time for Arrival of Guests — Reception of Guests Be- 
fore Dinner — Announcement of Dinner — The Procession 
to the Dining-Room — The Seating of the Guests — Guests 
of Honor, and Order of Precedence in General — Where 
is the Head of the Table? — Who Shall Sit at the Head 
of the Table? — Good Usage During the Progress of the 
Dinner — The Opening of the Dinner — Courses Served 
by the Host or Hostess — Order of Serving Guests — The 
Soup — Rules for the Service Plate — The Fish Course 

— How to Use the Knife and Fork — How to Pick Up 
Cups, Glasses, and Bowls — How to Sit at Table — 
Courses Which May Not Be Refused — Concerning Second 
Helpings — When a Plate Should not be Passed to An- 
other — Conclusion of a Course — Use of Salt and Pepper 

— When Accidents Happen — Foods Eaten from the 
Fingers — The Close of the Dinner — When to Take Leave 

— When Not to Make Protest. 

Concerning Glass, Silver, and China 112 

China: Sizes and Shapes — Silverware — Glassware — The 
Choice of Decorated China. 

The Balanced Meal 120 

Protein and Calories — Acid- and Alkali-Producing Foods 
• — Minerals — Vitamines — Table^of Foods in Quantity to 
Yield One-fourth Ounce of Protein — Table of Calorific 
Value of One Pound Each of Common Foods — Table of 
Alkah-Forming Foods — Table of Foods Rich in Phospho- 
rus — Table of Foods Rich in Iron — Table of Foods Rich 
in Calcium — Table of Foods Containing Vitamine "A" — 
Table of Foods Containing Vitamine "B" — Sample of 
Balanced Menus — Table Showing Analysis of Menu. 



ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGE 

Cover for Breakfast 2 

Diagram of a Cover for Breakfast 19 

How to Eat a Pear at Breakfast 25 

Cover for Luncheon 30 

Diagram of a Cover for Luncheon 43 

Uses of Finger Bowl and Doily, etc 51 

The Wrong Way to Remove a Plate 53 

The Right Way to Remove a Plate 54 

Cover for Dinner 58 

Diagram of a Cover for a Simple Dinner 60 

Diagram of a Cover for a Formal Diimer 85 

How to Eat Soup 97 

How to Use the Knife and Fork 99 

Wrong Way to Take Up a Cup 101 

Right Way to Take Up a Cup 101 

How to Hold a Tumbler 102 

Different Sizes and Shapes of Plates 113 

Teacups 114 

Tea and Coffee Pots 115 

Pitchers 115 

Spoons 116 

Knives and Forks 117 



BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, 
AND DINNERS 

THE BREAKFAST 

The breakfast is the most important meal of the day, 
because it is the first thing that happens every morning, 
and it thus strikes the note, so to speak, of the day's 
harmony. 

Breakfast varies more than any other meal in the 
number and kind of dishes served — from the cup of 
coffee and single small roll, brought to your bedroom in 
some of the European countries, to the hotel breakfast 
of the United States, which consists of nearly as many 
dishes as a course dinner. But whatever the breakfast, 
it should be remembered that it is the opening adventure 
of the morning, and no pains should be spared to make 
it an agreeable one. If nothing more is desired than toast 
and coffee, the standard for these two should be nothing 
short of excellence. Indeed the fewer the dishes served 
for breakfast, the greater the perfection called for in 
these few, since where there is much variety, if one dish 
is poor, it can be discarded for another that is good. 

A survey of some typical kinds of breakfast will be 
found in the following pages. 

The Light Breakfast 

Delicate women, aged persons, semi-invalids, and 
other persons in apparently good health often suffer from 
a complete lack of appetite in the morning, and will eat 
only an apology for breakfast. Such persons seldom come 

1 




I 



« 



THE BREAKFAST 3 

to their own in vitality until later in the day, and a very 
Hght breakfast is all they are able to digest. For them 
the meal should be regarded as a mere '' pick-me-up/' a 
mild stimulant to help them over the difficult hours of 
the morning. 

Another class of persons who find a light breakfast 
agrees best with them are brain-workers, who go to their 
desks or to their mental activities immediately after the 
meal, without the interval of a walk or ride to business, 
and set their brains to work at the same time that the 
digestive organs are busy dealing with the just-eaten 
food. In this case the body may be said to be trying to 
serve two masters, and the work of either one will surely 
be slighted. Here again, the light meal, refreshing and 
stimulating, will be the best compromise, and the tax 
will not be too severe on either brain or digestion. 

Menus for Light Breakfasts 
I 

Orange Juice 

Thin Shced Buttered Toast 

Coffee 

II 

Grapes 

Vienna Rolls 

Coffee 

Other light breakfasts may consist of a cup of caje an 
lait and an oven-crisped pilot cracker; or a small cup of 
chocolate or cocoa with pulled bread; or tea, toast, and 
orange marmalade; or even a glass of warm malted milk 
and a zwieback may be sufficient for the slight refresh- 
ment needed by those who find a light breakfast best 
adapted to them. 



4 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS 

But remember, whatever beverage is served, be sure 
it is as hot as can be sipped, for hot fluids are stimulating 
to heart and circulation. Where the need of such a stimu- 
lant is acute the person will be found beginning his meal 
at the wrong end — the coffee — and then working up 
to the more substantial dish, if indeed he does not reject 
everything except the coffee. 

The Moderate Breakfast 

The addition to the light breakfast of a cereal, with 
milk or cream; a substantial dish such as eggs, fish, or 
meat, with or without potatoes; and a " frill " in the 
shape of jam or marmalade will round out the light 
breakfast to the moderate breakfast, which is the one 
most commonly served in the home. It affords scope 
for individual preference, and according to his choice any- 
one at the table may elect the dishes to make either a 
light or a moderate breakfast, or one between the two. 

Menus for Moderate Breakfasts 

I 

Stewed Prunes with Apple Sauce 

Wheatena, Cream and Sugar 

Broiled Whitefish. Baked Potato 

Graham Toast 

Coffee. Cocoa 

II 

Grapefruit 

Shredded Wheat, Hot Milk 

Lamb Chops. Creamed Potatoes 

Muffins. Marmalade 

Coffee. Cocoa 



THE BREAKFAST 5 

Egg dishes, such as soft-cooked, poached, scrambled, 
omelets of various kinds, etc., are much in favor for 
breakfast. Eggs are easily and quickly prepared, and 
can be served in so many ways that they may be eaten 
for most mornings of the week without tiring of them. 
Some persons eat a soft-cooked egg for breakfast from one 
end of the year to the other without desiring a change. 
Potatoes are seldom served when eggs form the main 
dish. 

Hashes, made from corned beef, roast beef, or fish, 
are the form of warmed-over most likely to be made use 
of for breakfast; but there is no reason why other dishes 
from left-overs should not sometimes be served. 

Creamed meats on toast, delicate sausages, light fish- 
balls, breakfast bacon either by itself, or served in small 
quantity as a relish with eggs or other dishes, all are 
foods well suited to the moderate breakfast. 

The Hearty Breakfast 

The hearty breakfast is suited to hearty workers, 
especially to those who work in the open, like farmers, 
gardeners, sportsmen and campers, the crews of lumber 
camps, or growing boys at the hungry age. 

It sometimes differs from the moderate breakfast only 
quantitatively, consisting of mjich the same food, served 
in very much larger portions. But more often the food is 
of a kind best adapted to vigorous digestions, and is guar- 
anteed to '' stay by " the breakf aster, so that he shall 
not be hungry until time for the next meal. 

At the hearty breakfast two kinds of meat are often 
served in combination, like chops and kidneys, liver and 
bacon, ham and eggs, corned beef hash with poached egg, 
pork and beans, etc. ; or the two kinds may be served in 



6 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS 

separate courses, such as fried fish, or tripe and onions 
to begin with, and a thick broiled beefsteak later in the 
meal. Potatoes, baked or fried, are nearly always present, 
or fried mush or scrapple; also two or more kinds of hot 
bread; and the feast is wound up with a handful of fresh- 
fried crullers, or a heaping plate of hot pancakes with 
syrup, and another large cup of coffee with cream. Coffee, 
all through the meal, is poured unstintedly, and all the 
dishes are served unstintedly. Fruit is sometimes served 
at the hearty breakfast; sometimes this is thought to be 
a waste of time. Cereal with grated cheese, or fried mush 
with molasses, or oatmeal in a soup plate served with 
thick cream is acceptable; but the hungry-as-a-hound 
hearty breakfaster often likes to plunge at once into the 
more substantial " eats " of the substantial meal. 

Enough has been said about this truly hearty break- 
fast to show that, for most of us, it is one to meet an ex- 
ceptional condition, and is perhaps farther from .the 
normal type of breakfast than is the very light one. Yet, 
rare as this hearty breakfast is, most of us have, if not 
eaten one, at least experienced the joy of the looker-on 
in seeing one eaten; so that it is well to know what the 
meal is, and when it may be served with propriety. 

The Formal Breakfast 

This meal is suited to class reunions, to the closing 
meeting of the year for women's clubs, or to any other 
time when a company meal early in the day is called for. 
It is appropriate to both sexes, and sometimes if a dis- 
tinguished visitor to the town has been loaded up in ad- 
vance with luncheon and dinner invitations, the woman 
who otherwise might miss the pleasure of entertaining 
the much-sought-for guest will be able to secure his com- 



THE BREAKFAST 7 

pany at a ten o'clock breakfast. The very fact that this 
meal is not so often used for a means of entertainment as 
luncheon or dinner recommends it to many a hostess who 
enjoys the opportunity it offers for little touches of 
novelty and originality, and for its atmosphere of ease, 
freedom, and intimacy. 

A formal breakfast may be served as early as ten 
o'clock or a little before, and as late as twelve or half- 
past twelve, but not later. The meal resembles a lunch- 
eon, and the later the hour it is given the more marked is 
the resemblance ; yet there are certain well-defined differ- 
ences — for example, the coffee is served in breakfast cups, 
the breads are always hot, fights are never included in 
the table decorations, and though a salad may be served, 
soup should never form part of any meal calling itself a 
breakfast. It is true that a light soup is sometimes found 
to head the menus of company breakfasts; yet the best 
social usage in this country regards it as out of place for 
a breakfast. 

A '^ small and early " formal breakfast begins wdth the 
service of choice fruits in season. This is followed by 
either fish or eggs in some form, next comes a meat 
dish such as chops, kidneys, chicken or small birds, with 
potatoes, and a vegetable such as celery, fresh sliced 
tomatoes, or the like, served with a dressing of oil and 
vinegar. Two kinds of hot breads are served all through 
the fish and meat courses. While no formal sweet course 
is served at a ten o'clock breakfast, yet waffles with 
syrup may come on at the close, or French pancakes — 
the kind that are spread with jelly, rolled like a jelly roll, 
and dusted with powdered sugar; or there may be a 
strawberry shortcake with whipped cream, a shortcake 
of the real kind, made of a biscuit-dough; or if eggs 



8 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS 

were not previously served, a sweet omelet may be sub- 
stituted for waffles or cakes. The following is a correct 
menu for 

A Ten o'Clock Company Breakfast 

Grapefruit stuffed with Cherries 

Broiled Fish. Sliced Cucumbers 

Savory Omelet. Potato Puffs. Fresh Tomatoes 

Wheat Muffins. Hot Rolls 

Cream Waffles with Butter and Crushed 

Fresh Strawberries 

Coffee 

A more elaborate breakfast will have a third course of 
meat, eggs, or game; a salad served with one of the soft 
cheeses and crackers; and a frozen dessert. The following 
is a correct menu for 

A Twelve o'Clock Company Breakfast 

Orange and Malaga Grape Cocktail 

Fish Souffle. Lattice Potatoes 

Deviled Kidneys. Mushrooms 

Maryland Chicken. Rice 

Cress with French Dressing 

Toasted Crackers. Cream Cheese 

Pineapple Parfait. Lady Fingers 

Coffee 

Olives or pimolas, radishes, and salted nuts may be 
used as relishes and passed between the courses. Cream 
and sugar are always offered with the coffee at a company 
breakfast, and there is no rule forbidding the serving of 
coffee early in the meal. 

In this book the moderate breakfast will be taken as 
the norm, the breakfast which is suited to both student 



THE BREAKFAST 9 

and teacher, business or professional man or woman, and 
visiting friends — the typical breakfast of the average 
American home. There will be a few changes according 
to the season; in warm weather the juicier fruits — iced 
melons or the like — will be used; and the ready-to-eat 
cereals, or the mushes of wheat, rice, and the lighter 
grains rather than those from oats or corn; also, white 
fish, creamed chicken, or some delicate meat will form 
the substantial course. In cold weather the dried fruits 
will be welcomed for a change, and steamed figs, stewed 
prunes, or a cooked fresh fruit will be a good first course. 
The dried fruits may be cooked into the oatmeal or 
corn-meal mush, or the mush may be served with a baked 
apple fresh from the oven. More fats and more of the 
richer meats and fish will be used. The following menus 
show adaptations of the moderate breakfast to seasonal 
conditions. 

A Warm Weather Breakfast 

Iced Cantaloupe 
Puffed Rice with Cream ^ 

Asparagus Omelet ^ 

Toast. Coffee 



A Cold Weather Breakfast 

Baked Apples with Cream 

Fried Mush. Honey 

Pork Tenderloin. Glazed Sweet Potatoes 

Waffles with Butter and Syrup 

Coffee. Cocoa 

Another adaptation of the family breakfast is called for 
when it is evident that a long time will elapse between 
breakfast and the next meal. This may be a regular 



10 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS 

thing, where the day's business allows onl^^ a brief while 
for lunch; or it may be some unusual exigency, as when a 
journey has to be taken, and there is uncertainty whether 
a noon meal can be counted on or not. But wherever 
the next meal is foreseen to be a long way off, a portion 
of the food for the breakfast should be of the kind that 
is rather slowly digested, which gives it what is called 
" a staying power." Here a digression is in order for the 
discussion of 

Digestible and Indigestible Foods 

The term '' indigestible food " is self-contradictory, 
for if a substance is indigestible it is not a food. An in- 
digestible substance is one which leaves the body either 
wholly, or in great part, unchanged, like the coarse cellu- 
lose of certain vegetables, the seeds of fruits, etc. But 
the word '' indigestible " is more properly applied to foods 
which cause distress in the alimentary tract, and in this 
sense it will readily be seen that foods which are indi- 
gestible for one person will not be so for another, and 
a food will be found indigestible at one time and not at 
another by the same person. Foods are thoughtlessly 
called indigestible when they are slowly, though com- 
pletely and without distress, digested by the average 
person in normal health. Such foods are hard-cooked 
eggs, cheese, most of the fats, the richer meats and fish. 
Hence the foods suited for breakfast when the next meal 
will be long in coming are these " indigestibles " of the 
milder kind — the foods which take several hours to be 
disposed of by the body. These, too, will be found to 
vary according to personal idiosyncrasy. 

The following menu includes foods which are likely to 
keep off the sensation of hunger for many hours. 



THE BREAKFAST 11 

Menu for Breakfast when Luncheon is Uncertain 

Stewed Apples with Butter and Sugar 

Cereal with Grated Cheese 

Broiled Hani. Potato Omelet 

Bye Muffins. Plum Jam 

Cafe au Lait 

Liberal helpings of butter or thick cream, hard-cooked 
eggs, scrambled eggs, omelets, pork chops or tenderloins, 
mackerel or salmon, pancakes or rich muffins, if they 
cause no distress, will " stay by " the breakf aster until 
well into the afternoon. Even a good spoonful of sweet 
marmalade or jam will keep off the all-gone feeling which 
comes to many persons at about eleven o'clock in the 
school or business morning. This is an addition to the 
breakfast which is safe to recommend in all but excep- 
tional cases. 

The Scientific Breakfast 

The scientific breakfast begins with one or two very 
hard, dry, unsweetened rusks, or triscuit; or a slice of 
perfectly crisp, brittle, toasted bread; or a dish of one of 
the puffed grains, served after crisping in the oven, but 
without sugar, cream, or anything to moisten; or any 
starchy food so hard and dry as to compel long and 
thorough mastication. 

The well-known physician w^ho advocates this kind of 
first course tells us it is designed to introduce enough of 
the alkaline saliva into the stomach to stimulate the 
secretion of its digestive fluids, which are slightly acid, 
and thus to prepare it to deal with the meat, eggs, or 
other protein food which will follow — with rolls, muffins, 
marmalade and butter, and coffee. 

Neither is the cold and cheerless beginning of this 



12 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS 

breakfast meant to deprive us of our good warm cereal 
with cream and milk, for this comes after the muffins, 
chops, and coffee. Lastly, we are regaled on fresh fruit 
in season, as much as we care to eat; and it is explained 
that its function, being peristaltic, properly comes at the 
close, rather than at the beginning of the meal. 

There is so much of an overturning of the old order in 
the scientific breakfast that it is to be feared it will not 
quickly come into general use; but it is unquestionably 
based on correct dietetic principles, and it is a meal which 
will grow in favor with those who form the habit of it. 

The English Breakfast 

Breakfast in the great English country houses is often, 
though not invariably, a self-service affair, in that the 
hot or cold meats, eggs, or other substantial dishes are 
placed on the sideboard or on side-tables, and from these 
everybody helps himself and carries back his filled plate 
to his place. As a rule the men will serve the women, 
sometimes the butler will carve, and servants will always 
see to the replenishment of the dishes on the sideboard, 
as well as the table dishes of toast or muffins. The hostess 
pours tea or coffee, or this may be poured by a servant 
from a side-table. The family and guests sit to table 
without the formahty of waiting until all are assembled. 

When to Go Without Breakfast 

Those who suffer from a furred tongue and a bad taste 
in the mouth in the morning will do well to go without 
breakfast until these conditions disappear, or to break- 
fast on a glass of hot water and a couple of oranges. 
Those who sup or dine at an extremely late hour, and 
over-heartily, or who go to bed while food still remains 



THE BREAKFAST 13 

undigested in the stomach, will also be benefited by the 
no-breakfast plan, or the substitution of a glass of hot, 
sHghtly salted water. But it is unwise for normal men 
and women who lead regular, healthful lives, to go with- 
out this important meal — though the practice of dis- 
pensing with breakfast has its advocates, who are fond 
of telling how much better they feel since they cut out 
the meal and how much housework it has saved. The 
sophistical argument is made use of that the body, after 
the rest of the night and the recuperation of sleep, is 
not in need of food; but the fact is lost sight of that the 
machinery of the body, the heart, lungs, etc., have been 
constantly employed during sleep, and food is needed in 
the morning to supply fuel for their energies, just as fuel 
is needed to replenish the house furnace. Further, it is 
well known to be a severe tax on the eyes to use them for 
writing, reading, sewing, or similar work before the 
morning fast is broken. More important still is it that 
children should have an appetizing, sufficient, and un- 
hurried breakfast before they go to school, or before any 
work at home is required of them. All early risers, who 
engage in work or exercise long before the hour for the 
family breakfast, should have something like crackers 
and milk, a cup of cocoa, or a glass of warm milk as soon 
as they are dressed. In line with this let us quote a sen- 
tence from the instructions of a famous general, who 
writes as follows to his commanding officers: "The 
Commanding Officer should see that his officers and men 
have something to eat and drink before they begin their 
work, no matter how early; e. g., a cup of hot coffee and 
a biscuit before the regular breakfast." If this was found 
necessary for hardy soldiers, it is even more needful for 
civilians. 



14 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS 

A Dietetic Study of Breakfast 

A glance at breakfast menus in general will show that 
hot foods are favored. The cereal is hot, or the ready-to- 
eat kinds are reheated in the oven if they are to be served 
at their best. The meats are always hot, the beverage is 
hot. This is not so much a following of fashion as a re- 
sponse to the demand of the body for the stimulating 
effect of hot foods to promote circulation at the begin- 
ning of the day, a time when the physical energies are 
with many persons yet half -dormant. 

Hot breads are often looked on with disfavor, yet one 
of the recognized authorities on dietetics, himself a physi- 
cian, tells us that if hot breads are thoroughly well masti- 
cated there can be no possible objection to their use, 
since in no way do they differ chemically from cold breads. 
They are, however, especially when made from fine, 
white flour, very much more difficult to masticate than 
are the cold and crumby kinds. Hot graham or whole- 
wheat breads are more friable and easier to insalivate. 

The complete and thorough mastication and conse- 
quent insalivation of starchy foods is one of the surest 
safeguards against what is known as amylaceous indi- 
gestion. This is one of the commonest forms of indiges- 
tion; it proceeds from the hasty, half-chewed swallowing 
of starchy foods, and the best way to avoid or get rid of 
it is to form the habit of complete mastication of bread- 
stuffs. Toast is partly pre-digested from the formation 
of dextrin on the outside. Similarly, the crust of bread 
is more easily digested than the crumb, and the hard, 
crusty roll more easily than the soft one. 

The breakfast cereal, all but the ready-to-eat kinds, 
should be cooked from two to six hours. Mushes and 



THE BREAKFAST 15 

porridges are swallowed without chewing, and the long 
cooking is something of an equivalent for mastication, 
in that the first stage of digestion is initiated to a greater 
or less extent by prolonged cooking. 

In some families the choice is offered of either fruit or 
cereal. Both should form part of the breakfast, for neither 
is properly a substitute for the other. They may be served 
in combination, as oatmeal or any other grain with dried 
fruit cooked with it; or a baked apple may be surrounded 
with warm mush; or the ready-to-eat cereals may be 
served with fresh berries or sliced peaches piled on top. 
Anyone who wishes to make a light breakfast, or who does 
not care for the fruit or the cereal, is free to refuse one or 
the other, or both; but no hostess is free to offer the choice 
of either, thus implying that whichever is taken the other 
must be foregone. 

Many times do we hear condemnation of the use of 
meat three times a day. Censure of this practice is just 
if the total amount of meat eaten during the day is ex- 
cessive, as it is likely to be if served in unlimited quanti- 
ties at all three meals. Meat, however, has a value in 
the diet quite distinct from its value as one of the protein 
foods; it has what a diet specialist calls its condimental 
value. It is a food whose flavor gives relish to other 
foods, stimulates appetite, and promotes digestion. A 
very little meat — the mere meat-flavor — will do this, 
but the trouble about its unrestricted use is that this 
same highly relished flavor also incites the appetite for 
more than we need, and frequently for more than is good 
for us. 

If we had enough strength of mind and self-control to 
divide the daily meat ration into two parts: one to be 
reserved for dinner; the other to be subdivided into por- 



16 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS 

tions for breakfast and luncheon, this would be a more 
excellent way than to go without meat for two meals, 
and to eat the whole of the day's allowance at the re- 
maining meal. 

Time Allowed for Cooking Breakfast 

Examination of the dishes listed for the usual breakfast 
menus shows that they are of the quickly prepared and 
quickly cooked kind — with the possible exception of the 
cereal. This should be cooked the day before, or during 
the night in the fireless cooker. 

Provided the housekeeper has a gas range, or a good 
oil stove and oven, one half-hour from the time she enters 
the kitchen until the meal is on the table ought to be 
sufficient time to allow for the 'cooking proper. Much of 
the preparation should be done the evening before, to 
save rush and stress in the morning. Meat for hash may 
be chopped and seasoned, all ready for the pan. Flour 
for warm breads may be measured, the other dry materials 
added, and the whole kept covered in the mixing bowl. 
Even the muffin tins may be greased, or the griddle set 
over the burner. Every housekeeper can think out for 
herself devices for shortening the time between rising 
and breakfasting in the morning. 

Linen for the Breakfast Table 

A round table is the prettiest for breakfast, but a 
square or an oblong table may be used quite as well. 
The silence cloth of thick cotton felt, or the large mat of 
asbestos cloth or felt, made to fit the table, is always 
put under the tablecloth. Though called the " silence '' 
cloth, its chief function is that of a non-conductor, to pro- 
tect the poUshed surface of the table from being injured 



THE BREAKFAST 17 

by hot dishes. Fine, heavy double damask table linen 
is no longer in vogue for the family breakfast, but simple 
tablecloths of heavy muslin, or of plain, unbleached 
linen, or of daintily tinted linen — gray, azure, sage 
green, pink, or even of Venetian or Pompeian red — with 
scalloped or hemstitched edges, are much in vogue. 
There seems to be an unwritten law that a solid color of 
any kind, with scalloping in a contrasting color or in 
white, is admissible for either breakfast or luncheon; but 
that a two-colored fabric is not to be thought of, still 
less a checked one. An exception is made for the Japanese 
cloths of heavy crepe, with printed designs in deep blue. 
These are entirely in good form, they are easy to launder, 
and will give good wear. Either white table napkins, or 
napkins to match the cloth, may be used according to 
preference. 

The breakfast cloth may come exactly to the edge of 
the table, or it may hang a few inches below it. Breakfast 
napkins should be smaller than dinner napkins, and may 
be from fifteen to twenty inches square. For home and 
family use a napkin of twenty-two to twenty-five inches 
square is often used for all the meals. Quite small doihes, 
fringed or scalloped, are sometimes placed under the 
fruit plates to be used when peaches or other juicy fruit 
is served. Where the rest of the table linen is white, it is 
allowable to have colored fruit doihes, and red is often 
chosen, so that fruit stains may not be too much in evi- 
dence. With the blue-and-white Japanese cloths, the 
doihes may either match, or be solid blue. With other 
colors they match the cloth, or they may be plain white, 
or white with colored embroidery. For home and family 
use the sensible custom is sanctioned of using small paper 
napkins, folded square, for use with the fruit course. 



18 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS; AND DINNERS 

The pretty fashion of setting the breakfast table with- 
out a cloth, using runners and doilies instead, is decora- 
tive and attractive, provided there is no danger to the 
table surface from hot dishes. This can be guarded 
against by placing mats under the doilies or the runner 
where the cereal and meat dishes are set, or cereal and 
meats can be served from a side-table. Two doihes at 
each place, one for the breakfast plate, and a smaller one 
for the water glass, are all that will be needed, and the 
temptation to use more than this must be resisted if you 
would avoid a scrappy effect. 

Setting the Breakfast Table 

Each person should be allowed a full two feet of space 
along the table edge, and of this two feet of lateral space, 
twenty inches are allowed for the cover, though the cover 
at breakfast seldom calls for so much, unless it is a com- 
pany meal. 

The cover is a word used to signify the place set for 
each person at the table; that is, the articles which are 
furnished for each one's use, such as plate, napkin, silver, 
and glass. The word is used in a certain figurative sense 
too, the phrase ^' a dinner of twelve covers " meaning a 
dinner for twelve guests. 

The breakfast plate occupies the center of the cover. 
This is a plate of smaller size than the dinner plate, being 
not less than seven inches in diameter. Care must be 
taken that the monogram or design, if either appears on 
the plate, shall be turned in the right direction. The rim 
of the breakfast plate should be one inch from the edge 
of the table. 

The breakfast knife and fork are of smaller size than 
those used for dinner. The fork, tines up, is set to the 



THE BREAKFAST 



19 



left of the plate; the knife, with its sharp edge towards 
the plate, is set at the right. 

The cereal spoon, concave side up, goes next to the 
knife at the right side, or it may be placed above the 
plate (see diagram), but the first position is preferable. 




DIAGRAM OF A COVER FOR BREAKFAST 

Key to Diagram of a Cover for Breakfast 



1. 


Breakfast plate 


8. 


Teaspoon 


2. 


Fruit plate 


9. 


Orange spoon 


3. 


Fruit knife 


10. 


Breakfast napkin 


4. 


Fruit doily 


11. 


Bread-and-butter plate 


5. 


Breakfast knife 


12. 


Butter spreader 


6. 


Breakfast fork 


13. 


Water tumbler 


7. 


Cereal spoon 


14. 
15. 


> Individual salt and pep 



Note: The teaspoon for the coffee is now preferably placed in 
the saucer when the coffee is poured. 

The cereal spoon is described on page 117 under the name 
" dessert spoon," for it is catalogued in this way by the 
silversmiths, but it is the correct spoon for use with all 
kinds of breakfast cereals, and it is a sign of ignorance of 
good usage to eat one's cereal with a teaspoon — a fact 
which girls in school, or even in college, are not always 



20 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS 

aware of. The cereal spoon and the breakfast knife and 
fork are placed with the handles one-half inch from the 
edge of the table, and close to one another, the distance 
between them being not greater than one-half inch, and 
preferably less than this. 

The water glass goes at the point of the breakfast 
knife, almost touching it. Tumblers are used for drink- 
ing-water at breakfast, goblets at dinner or luncheon. 

The bread-and-butter plate is set at the left, in very 
nearly the same relation to the fork that the water glass 
bears to the knife. The butter spreader is laid diagonally 
across the bread-and-butter plate, with the handle towards 
the right. The butter, formed into a neat cube or square 
— or better, a dainty ball or roll — is put on the farther 
side of the plate, leaving the part of the plate nearest the 
guest free for the roll or muffin. To put the butter ball 
at the nearer side is one of the common mistakes; in this 
way it is less convenient for the guest. The small '^ chips '^ 
formerly used for butter are not now thought to be in 
correct taste. 

The fruit plate is placed on the breakfast plate. It 
may be of china to match the breakfast set, or of the well- 
known ware of solid green, or it may be of glass. The 
fruit knife and fruit spoon are put on the fruit plate. For 
convenience the fruit is usually placed on the plate 
before the family assembles for breakfast, but it is often 
arranged in a handsome basket or dish in the center of 
the table, where it serves as a decoration. This is always 
the preferred mode of serving mixed fruits, and the dish 
is passed to each person after he is seated. 

The fruit doily, which is usually not more than four or 
five inches square, is spread flat on the breakfast plate, 
under the fruit plate or a paper napkin, folded square, 



THE BREAKFAST 21 

may, as already stated, be substituted for a linen doily. 
In some hotels and restaurants it is the custom to place 
a lace-paper doily, with a stiff, glazed center, directly 
on the fruit plate, under oranges, melons, grapefruit, or 
any other fruit eaten from its ''shell." This custom is 
not sanctioned for the home by women of fine taste : first, 
because it savors too much of hotel or restaurant fashions; 
second, because the use of paper to simulate a lace-edged 
linen doily is not thought correct — imitations being in 
questionable taste; third, because this doily under the 
fruit serves no useful purpose, since it is unfit to use to 
wipe the fingers, and it is only an embarrassment to the 
guest. 

The finger bowl, which may be of small size for break- 
fast, and of plain glass, is placed on either a plate or on 
an embroidered doily in front of the breakfast plate, or, 
if this place is occupied by individual salts and peppers, 
it is put a little above and to the left of the bread-and- 
butter plate. (See illustration, page 19.) 

Individual salts and peppers go just beyond the break- 
fast plate; where one pair is allowed for two persons they 
are set between the covers. 

The breakfast napkin may be folded in oblong shape 
and placed with one of its long edges towards the plate; 
or it may be folded three-cornerwise, with either the long 
edge or the corner opposite to it nearest the plate; or it 
may be folded square. The square fold is employed only 
if the napkin is large enough to be used for dinner as well 
as breakfast. The place for the napkin is outside the 
fork, to the left of the plate, except where the fruit course 
is omitted, or served as part of the cereal. (See page 15.) 
In this case the napkin may or may not be placed on the 
breakfast plate. 



22 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS 

Napkin rings are not used at any meal at tables where 
the best usage is practiced. 

The table decorations for breakfast may be the hand- 
some dish of fruit already mentioned, or they may be 
cut flowers, or a very simple jardiniere. The cut flowers 
for breakfast decoration ought not to be of the hot- 
house or out-of-season kind, or of a costly description. 
Best of all is a pretty arrangement of wild flowers, es- 
pecially for country or suburban dwellers. The best 
arrangement of flowers for breakfast is in low, flat masses, 
or in the form of a small bouquet at each person's place. 

Many of these little points may seem " fussy " to any- 
one who does not know that table setting is a matter of 
great exactness besides being a fine art. A beautifully ap- 
pointed and well-set table is something every woman 
should be justly proud of, and it is something that needs 
careful study on the part of the hostess, since few wait- 
resses have either the training or the taste required for 
this work in all its niceties. Unless a woman herself 
gives the last touches to her table she can never be quite 
sure that it is set in such a way as to do her credit. 

Serving the Breakfast 

Before the family assembles the water glasses are filled 
with fresh cold, or iced, water to within not more than 
an inch of the top. The finger bowls are half-filled 
with water of the temperature of the room. The butter 
is placed on the bread-and-butter plates; it should be 
the right consistency for spreading, not too hard nor too 
soft. The individual service of fruit is placed on the 
fruit plates, and if anyone drinks milk a glass should be 
filled and put beside the water glass to the right. 

After the fruit course is finished the fruit plate is re- 



THE BREAKFAST - 23 

moved, and at a formal breakfast the finger bowl is also 
removed, to be refilled with fresh water, and brought on 
again at the close of the meal. For the home and family 
breakfast there is no harm in allowing the finger bowl to 
remain on the table from its first use to its last. 

The cereal is next brought on in a covered dish, and is 
helped by either the master or the mistress of the house. 
Cream and sugar are passed, or there may be individual 
cream pitchers, or one between two persons. This multi- 
plication of individual dishes is, however, not to be 
recommended, for it makes much unnecessary work. 
Shredded wheat is not served from a large dish, being 
awkward to manage; it is served to each person in the in- 
dividual cereal dish. This, and all the flaked and puffed 
grains, should be heated to crispness in the oven before 
being brought to the table, and served on slightly warmed 
dishes. 

The individual cereal dish is a rather deep, saucer- 
shaped one, with a slightly flaring edge; or sometimes a 
small, shallow bowl is used. It is incorrect to serve the 
cereal on ordinary breakfast saucers; it is worse than in- 
correct, it is a decided mark of ignorance, to serve it in 
the small oval sauce or '^ side " dishes. These are no 
longer considered good form for any use — they belong 
to the days of the butter " chips " — but to serve the 
breakfast cereal in them has always been inexcusable. 

The meat, fish, or other substantial dish is placed 
before the master of the house after the cereal course is 
removed, and is helped by him, with its accompanying 
vegetable (if there is one) on the individual breakfast 
plates. These may be passed by the waitress, or by those 
seated at the table. The simplest method is for the master 
of the house to place the first helping on the breakfast 



24 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS 

plate in front of him, which is then exchanged for that of 
the person first helped, and so on. 

The warm rolls, biscuits, or muffins are piled on a 
round dish, or in a muffin dish. A folded napkin is laid 
under them at the bottom of the dish, and another laid 
over them, to keep them warm without having them ab- 
sorb their own steam and become soggy. This is hardly 
necessary when the family is small, but it is a dainty 
fashion. Dry toast is placed in a toast-rack; it is spoiled 
in a very short time if the slices are piled over one an- 
other; buttered toast, waffles, or pancakes are either 
piled in a covered dish or served fresh from the kitchen 
in individual portions. 

Coffee is always poured by the mistress of the house, 
and when the family is small the cups and saucers, etc., 
are arranged before her place when the table is set. Each 
cup should be in its own saucer, and the spoon should be 
placed in the saucer, parallel with the handle of the cup. 
This position of the spoon is one of the small points 
apt to be lost sight of. When the substantial course 
and the hot breads have been placed on the table, the 
coffeepot is brought in and put on a tile or stand within 
convenient reach of the mistress. Where many have to 
be served, the whole coffee service is brought in on a tray, 
and placed before the hostess at the right time. Needless 
to say that cups and saucers should not under any cir- 
cumstances be piled one over the other. 

Cream and sugar should be put into the cups, for those 
who use these additions to their coffee, before the coffee 
is poured. This, to a sensitive palate, makes quite a little 
difference in the flavor of the coffee. 



THE BREAKFAST 



25 



Good Usage in Eating Breakfast 

No formality is observed on entering the ordinary 
breakfast room. The hostess usually precedes, and if 
guests are present she will indicate their places. If grace 
is said, nobody unfolds his napkin until it is finished, nor 
replaces his napkin on the table until after the last grace 




HOW TO EAT A PEAR AT BREAKFAST 



is said. The rules for correct behavior at a formal break- 
fast follow those for the formal luncheon (see page 55); 
and the general rules for polite behavior at the table, 
those which hold good for all the meals, will be given on 
pages 94 to 111. In this chapter only a few special points, 
applicable to breakfast in the well-conducted home, will 
be considered. 

While fruit is usually eaten for the first course, it is 
often saved for the end of the breakfast by those who 



26 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS 

prefer to eat it last. This preference for postponing the 
fruit to the end of the meal is becoming recognized to 
such an extent that a thoughtful hostess, especially if 
trained in dietetics, will inquire the wishes of the guest 
in this respect as naturally as she will inquire whether 
cream and sugar are desired with the coffee. But where 
no such inquiry is made, and where everybody else eats 
fruit first, it is in better accord with good breeding to do 
as the others do. At the family table, or at the house of 
intimate friends, it is perfectly correct to eat the fruit 
first or last as the individual wishes. 

A cardinal rule for eating, inviolable for every meal, 
and for every time that food is taken into the mouth, is 
that it must not be bitten, if the marks of the teeth would 
show on the part that remains. 

The fruit course is the most difficult to manage with 
regard to this rule, or to dainty eating in general. Apples, 
pears, or other firm-fleshed fruit may be cut into quarters, 
the cores removed, each quarter pared lengthwise, and 
then cut crosswise into little bits, one at a time, and these 
eaten by raising the section to the mouth with the fingers, 
until the whole is finished. Peaches may often be eaten 
in this way, but if very juicy they will be pared, quar- 
tered, and each quarter divided on the plate with the fruit 
fork. It is still admissible to cut up the whole of a peach 
or any other fruit, and then begin to eat it, but the custom 
is gradually giving place to a more excellent way. Why, 
it is asked, should we be allowed to cut up the whole of a 
banana, and then settle down to eat it, when we are not 
allowed to cut up the whole of a chop, a piece of toast, or 
a biscuit? Hence, to cut one at a time the pieces to be 
eaten is now the better usage. Thus the up-to-date 
breakf aster eats her pear by first cutting a circular par- 



THE BKEAKFAST 27 

ing from the blossom end, while holding it by the stem 
end; she then frees the flesh from the core, divides it 
into small pieces, and takes these into her mouth by rais- 
ing the fruit to her lips. (See illustration, page 25.) The 
core and the stem are all that remain when she has finished. 
Bananas may be eaten in much the same way. Grapes 
should be picked up singly, and eaten from behind the 
half-closed hand, so that seeds and skin may fall into the 
palm, and be unobtrusively placed on the plate. Or the 
pulp may be squeezed into the mouth from the skin, and 
the seeds gotten rid of later. There should be no need to 
say that the process of discharging the seeds should be 
inconspicuous. Small, juicy plums may be eaten the 
same as grapes. Strawberries are more correctly eaten 
with a fork, unless served with cream, when a spoon has 
to be used. If the strawberries are unhulled, each one is 
eaten from the fingers, holding it by its stem. For this 
way of serving strawberries powdered sugar is heaped in 
the center of the fruit plate, and they are dipped into it 
one at a time before eating. Small berries are the easiest 
of all to manage; they are eaten with a teaspoon. 

The citrus fruits, oranges, grapefruit, should be cut 
across into halves, each carpel carefully separated from the 
integument enclosing it, and when all the pulp has thus 
been freed the thin membranes, the juicy little chunks 
are eaten by scooping each one out with the point of 
the orange spoon or the teaspoon. In the case of grape- 
fruit this separation of the pulp from its enclosing mem- 
branes is done before the fruit is brought to the table. In 
some restaurants, hotels, and dining cars, this neat piece 
of dissection is done in such a rough-and-ready, labor- 
saving fashion as to make it impossible to eat the fruit 
without swallowing tough, indigestible membrane, or 



28 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS 

having to reject it from the mouth. Such a method of 
preparing the fruit should not be tolerated in the home. 

One of the old-world ways to eat the cereal or porridge 
was to serve with it individual bowls of creamy milk. A 
small portion of the hot porridge was then taken up on 
the cereal spoon, this was dipped into the milk bowl, and 
the two eaten together. The portion of porridge was 
taken up on the side of the spoon nearest the person, and 
the milk was dipped up from the farther side. The dainty 
eater did not allow the side of the spoon that touched the 
lips to go into the milk. This method of eating the break- 
fast porridge is used in Canada, in Great Britain, and 
here and there by individual families in the United States. 
But the general fashion in this country is to pour the 
milk or cream over the cereal in its own dish. 

No food, liquid or solid, should be sipped or eaten from 
the point of a spoon, whether teaspoon or dessert spoon. 
Everything is eaten from the side of the spoon only. 

The spoon should never be left in the cofTee cup, or in 
a scooped-out melon, but should be removed and placed 
on the saucer or the fruit plate. The spoon may be left 
in the cereal dish. 

For other points of good behavior at the table, see pages 
94 to 111. 



THE LUNCHEON 

The question has been asked whether the word '4unch'' 
or ''luncheon" is the more correct. According to the 
most recent authorities ''lunch" is an abbreviation of 
"luncheon," and as such its use is condemned by precise 
and exact speakers, who believe abbreviations are de- 
basing to the language. Such persons a few generations 
ago used to be shocked if anyone said "cab" instead of 
"cabriolet," yet in this age no one would know what we 
meant if we called for a cabriolet instead of a cab. 

We are accustomed to applying the word lunch or 
luncheon to any meal, not a dinner, which comes at noon. 
If dinner is served at noon, as it so often is on Sundays in 
the average American home, the last meal of the day is 
then called "supper." Yet in some parts of the country 
the word luncheon is used for the late meal when there is 
an early dinner, and we may find ourselves invited to 
"Sunday lunch at six o'clock." Where the three regular 
meals are named breakfast, dinner, and supper, we are 
sometimes told that anyone who wishes can have a lunch 
or two in between, meaning a cup of coffee and a sand- 
wich, or a bit of cake or fruit. Thus in common parlance 
the word " lunch " is used in a homey and famihar sense, 
or to mean a light and informal refreshment, such as some- 
thing to go into a lunch box, or a "snack" at a soda 
fountain, or a slight and scrappy meal at home; while a 
more formal and elaborate company meal is never called 
anything but "luncheon." 

In this book the word " luncheon " will be applied to 
the noon meal of the week day. 

29 



THE LUNCHEON 31 

VARIETIES OF LUNCHEON 

Like breakfasts, there are many kinds of luncheon, but 
most of the varieties of this meal may be grouped under 
three heads: the business luncheon; the home luncheon; 
and the company luncheon. 

The Business Luncheon 

Too often this means a hearty noon meal, following a 
hurried breakfast. This full meal at noon, eaten in the 
noise and rush of a ''Quick Lunch" restaurant or cafe- 
teria, between a dash from the office or store and another 
dash back, is not conducive to either health or efficiency. 
A dish of milk toast and a few figs; or a cream soup and a 
salad; or a baked potato with a stuffing of grated cheese 
and a little fresh fruit for top-off; or a glass of egg malted 
milk and a cracker; or a bottle of kumiss or other form of 
fermented milk with a crusty roll; or any preferred com- 
bination of one or two simple, nutritious, and easily 
assimilated foods in such amount as to satisfy hunger 
without taxing digestion, w^ould be a better kind of lunch- 
eon to fit in between a moderate breakfast, unhurriedly 
enjoyed, and a good home dinner when the cares of the 
day are done with. 

Somebody has said that the business man's lunch is 
responsible for the business man's early physical break- 
down, and that unless this meal can be followed by a full 
thirty minutes of rest and idleness, it had better be cut 
out of the day's schedule. But any of the substitutes 
suggested above might take the place of the heartier and 
hastily bolted meal with much advantage to all persons 
in business or professional life — or in school, shop, or 



32 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS 

office — who have only a brief time for luncheon, and who 
have to work with body or brain immediately after eat- 
ing it. 

The Home Luncheon 

Where most of the family are absent at school or work, 
the housekeeper naturally plans for a labor-saving 
luncheon. There may or may not be a soup, there will 
likely be cold meat, warmed-over potatoes, a dish of 
canned fruit, bread and butter, cake and tea. This menu 
will be repeated without variation other than cold mutton 
one day and cold beef the next, canned pears one day and 
canned peaches another, until the meal is often a depress- 
ing one, and is shirked w^henever possible. 

Yet the home luncheon can be planned to be both 
labor-saving and appetizing. A good, nutritious soup, a 
salad, and a well-relished dessert, with the usual accesso- 
ries of breadstuff s, etc., should furnish a delicious lunch- 
eon. Any of the one-piece dishes, where meat and 
vegetables are cooked together, and a dessert of fruit, 
ought to make a palatable meal; or one of the egg dishes, 
with one or more uncooked vegetables, and an easily pre- 
pared dessert, would be another good lunch for the home. 
In planning these luncheons three chief points should be 
kept in mind: (1) Select, so far as possible, vegetables and 
fruits which may be served without cooking. For most of 
us they are wholesomer uncooked, and to serve them in 
this way saves time and work. (2) Be forehanded enough 
to double your recipe for breakfast muffins or biscuit — 
perhaps you can sometimes bake part of it in a different 
form, to be used at the luncheon of the next day hut one, 
when it can reappear either after heating in the oven 
for a few minutes, or transformed into a shortcake, or 
in any disguise which will make it like an old friend with 



THE LUNCHEON 33 

a new face. (3) Look up recipes that take only a short 
time to prepare, and that can be cooked in the fireless, 
or by some slow and sure method where the dish takes 
care of itself, and will not be greatly hurt by a little more 
or a little less time in cooking. 

The following menus are all easy to prepare, and illus- 
trate the observance of the points above mentioned. 

Menus for Home Luncheons 

I 

Baked Bean and Tomato Soup 

Apple, Nut, and Celery Salad 

Raisin Bread. Butter 

Fruit Shortcake 

Tea or Cocoa 

The Baked Bean and Tomato Soup is made as follows : 
Soften two tablespoonfuls of butter or butter substitute 
in a saucepan, and stir into it two tablespoonfuls of flour, 
one-quarter teaspoonful of mustard, one teaspoonful of 
salt, one-fourth teaspoonful of pepper, and two teaspoon- 
fuls of sugar. When well mixed add two cups of canned 
tomato sifted through a colander, two cups of water or 
stock, and one or two cups of baked beans rubbed through 
a colander with a wooden pestle. Stir all over the fire 
until the mixture boils, then serve in deep tureen with 
croutons. This soup is a meal in itself. 

The fruit shortcake is a baking powder cake made from 
part of the breakfast biscuit-dough of the day before yes- 
terday, split open, sprinkled with water, spread on the in- 
side with preserved or chopped fresh fruit, put into a slow 
oven to get warm while the rest of the meal is being eaten, 
and then brought on with a garnish of whipped cream, or 



34 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS 

with some of the juice from the preserved fruit poured 
over it. 

The cocoa is made from a cocoa syrup which can be pre- 
pared in moderate quantity by cooking together one cup 
of cocoa, two and one-half cups of sugar, and four cups of 
water for an hour and a half. This may be done after the 
first half hour in a double boiler. Cool quickly, and when 
quite cold keep in the refrigerator. Two tablespoonfuls of 
this added to three-fourths of a cup of hot milk will make 
one serving of cocoa. 

II 

Potato and Liver Pie 

Water Cress 

Graham Muffins. Butter 

Baked Apples 

Tea or Cocoa 

The Potato and Liver Pie is made by slicing six cold 
boiled potatoes, and arranging them in alternate layers 
in a baking dish with one pound of uncooked liver, cut 
in slices. Each layer of the liver should be seasoned with 
one-fourth teaspoonful of pepper and one-half teaspoon- 
ful of salt, mixed and sifted over the meat. Each layer of 
potato is seasoned with two teaspoonfuls of minced onion 
and one-half ounce of breakfast bacon, chopped- The 
top layer should be of plain sliced potatoes. Pour over 
the whole one cup of water or stock; cover, and bake for 
an hour in a moderate oven. Remove cover at the end 
of the hour to brown the potatoes. 

The graham muffins are left-overs from a recent break- 
fast, and are merely reheated. The apples go into the 
oven shortly before the pie comes out. The cocoa is from 
syrup as before. 



THE LUNCHEON 35 

i 

III 

Creamed Eggs on Toast 

Celery, Orange, and Lettuce Salad 

Whole-Wheat Rolls. Butter 

''Rummage" 

Tea or Cocoa 

Hard-cooked eggs, chopped into a well-seasoned white 
sauce, and poured over slices of toast, is an easily prepared 
dish. The eggs could be cooked with the potatoes or 
other vegetables of the night before; and the white sauce 
made in extra quantity when making some other creamed 
dish on a previous day. The creamed eggs might some- 
times be daintily served in scooped-out crusty rolls, and 
the crumb saved for bread puddings or stuffings. 

"Rummage" is a delicious dessert that can be made 
every week in the ordinary home. Go through your 
pantry or storeroom on a rummage quest, and put to- 
gether spoonfuls of left-over apple sauce, drainings of 
preserve jars, odd figs or dates or raisins, too few in 
number to use in any formal recipe, also scraps of hard 
dried-out cheese, scraps of dried-out cake or cookies, bits 
of custard or pie — in fact, fragments of anything edible 
you find except meats and vegetables. Mix all these in a 
pretty bowl or serving dish, moisten the whole with water, 
or a mixture of water with sugar, molasses, syrup, or fruit 
juice according as the results of your rummage call for 
more or less sweetening, and set the dish in the steamer 
until the contents are hot through. ''Rummage" can be 
made fit for a company dessert by covering the top with 
a mixture of finely sifted crumbs and granulated sugar, 
heating in the oven until this makes a rich brown crust, 
and decorating here and there with spoonfuls of whipped 
cream. 



36 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS 

The Company Luncheon 

The company luncheon includes at least three distinct 
kinds. There is first the little home luncheon, small and 
early, but of extra good quality, to which the hostess in- 
vites a friend or two, and which she can serve without a 
maid. Next, there is a more elaborate luncheon, with a 
few extra courses, which calls for the services of a trained 
waitress, if not a skilful cook, besides whatever help the 
mistress herself may give in the preparation of the dishes. 
Third, there is the highly formal company luncheon, 
long drawn out, and, many think, over-elaborated. This 
should never be attempted without the services of a 
trained corps of household help. 

The company luncheon may be served at any time 
from half-past twelve to two o'clock, and the more formal 
the luncheon the more it inclines to the later hour. A 
formal luncheon differs only a little from a formal dinner, 
but the slight differences between luncheon and dinner 
are quite as marked as those between breakfast and 
luncheon. At luncheon the soup may be either hot or 
cold, like a cold fruit soup, or an iced or jellied bouillon. 
But whether hot or cold, and no matter what the variety 
of soup, it is for luncheon preferably served in bouillon 
cups, and eaten with bouillon spoons. The chief meat 
dish for luncheon is of the kind which may serve for a 
dinner entree, that is, something such as a fillet of beef, 
a fricandeau of veal, a planked steak or fowl, or an elabo- 
rate made-dish, rather than the great joints or roasting 
pieces which are used for the main course of a dinner — 
though a roast joint often forms part of a luncheon in 
England. At luncheon chocolate may be substituted 
for coffee, or a choice may be offered of chocolate, coffee. 



THE LUNCHEON 37 

or tea. The table setting for luncheon is of a much more 
frilly and fanciful kind than for dinner, but lights are not 
used for decoration unless there is need of them for 
illumination. 

Women wear hats to luncheon, as they do at breakfast, 
and either handsome tailored suits or pretty dresses which 
are not dinner dresses. Gloves may either be worn or 
carried in the hand to the table. An English gentle- 
woman, who was companion for many years to a European 
princess, told the writer that the princess, on even very 
formal occasions, never put on her gloves for a luncheon; 
she carried them in her hand, through motives of economy, 
an excellent lesson for American princesses. 

Discussion of the Three Kinds of Company 
Luncheon 

For the small and homey luncheon, where the hostess 
may have also to be cook and waitress, all that is needed 
to compose a dainty and appetizing meal is a soup, a 
meat dish with one vegetable besides potatoes, a sweet 
dish, and a hot beverage. A salad may or may not be 
added. If the soup and the sweet are served cold, and can 
be prepared either the day before or early in the morning 
of the day she entertains, the labor of immediate prepara- 
tion will be very much lessened for the hostess. Some- 
times the hostess cooks one or more dishes at the table, 
in a chafing-dish, and this adds to the enjoyment of the 
party. The following is a typical menu for 

A Small and Friendly Luncheon 

Orange Soup. Bread Sticks 

Crown Roast of Lamb 

Green Peas. Riced Potatoes 

Tutti-Frutti Water Ice 

Cake. Coffee 



38 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS 

To make the Orange Soup there will be needed the 
juice of six oranges, the juice of one lemon, four cups of 
water, and three tablespoonfuls of arrowroot. Heat the 
water, and when boiling stir into it the arrowroot, first 
blended to a smooth paste with three or four table- 
spoonfuls of cold water. When the mixture has thick- 
ened, add the orange and lemon juice, let heat a little, 
but not boil, sweeten very slightly, and serve at once or 
chill before serving. The arrowroot thickening is trans- 
parent, and the soup will be a clear, light, yellow color. 

The Crown Roast of Lamb is not more costly than 
plain lamb chops, while it is very much prettier and 
daintier, and is really easier to prepare than it is to broil 
separate chops. 

The following recipe for the Tutti-Frutti Water Ice is 
especially delicious. Mix together one-half cup of lemon 
juice, one cup of orange juice, two cups (or a pint can) of 
shredded pineapple, two cups of sugar, and a quart of 
water, and freeze. The mixture may be made and allowed 
to stand several hours before freezing. 

The second and more elaborate kind of luncheon may 
begin with either fruit or shellfish; then a soup served in 
bouillon cups, with either bread sticks or croutons; a fish 
course, which may be Crustacea, especially if fruit was 
substituted for shellfish in the first course. After the fish 
will come the chief meat course; then the salad; a sweet 
course of pudding, jelly, or a frozen dish; the luncheon to 
conclude with bonbons, fruit, and coffee. This is the 
most general sequence of courses for the formal company 
luncheon, and is elaborate enough for almost any occa- 
sion. For an example, note the following 



THE LUNCHEON 39 

Menu for a Formal Luncheon 

Oysters on the Half-Shell 

Tomato Bisque. Croutons 

Broiled Lobster. Cucumber Sauce 

Fricandeau of Veal, bordered with Duchess 

Potatoes and Spinach 

Orange and Endive Salad 

Strawberry Bavarian Cream 

Coffee 

The highly elaborate luncheon will begin with either 
choice fruit, or oysters or clams, or a salpicon or canapes. 
(See page 68.) This will be followed by a soup of some 
kind; then fish, followed by an entree; then the meat 
course with one or two vegetables; then a frozen punch, 
which precedes the game course which is served with the 
salad; then the sweet course; and lastly, bonbons, fruit, 
and coffee. The following menu shows all the courses of 

An Elaborate Formal Luncheon 

Fruit Cocktail 

Oysters 

Clam Bouillon, garnished with Whipped Cream 

Olives. Broiled Smelts. Hollandaise Sauce. Celery 

Timbales of Chicken and Spaghetti 

Grenadines of Beef, larded. Mushroom Sauce 

Candied Sweet Potatoes. Devilled Tomatoes 

Sweet Cider Frappe 

Broiled Squab. Romaine Salad 

Pineapple Mousse. Sponge Fingers 

Bonbons Salted Pecans Cluster Raisins 

Coffee 

The Luncheon Table and Table Linen 

A round table for a small company is the prettiest and 
seems the most sociable, but where more than six or eight 



40 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS 

are to be seated the greater diameter of a sufficiently 
large round table is likely to remove opposite guests to 
too great a distance. Square, oblong, or oval tables are 
all appropriate, or the oblong table with rounded ends, 
which is one of the newest styles. For a large, formal 
luncheon the banquet arrangement of tables is very good; 
or the party may be broken up into several small tables, 
each seating from four to six, with a special table at the 
head of the room or the center for the hostess and the 
most distinguished guests. A progressive form of enter- 
tainment may be used where there are many small, 
separate tables. In this the hostess and the distinguished 
guests eat the first course together, and then each one 
picks up her napkin and her water glass, and takes the 
place of one of the heads of a little table, who in her turn 
goes to the seat vacated by the one who changes place 
with her. A similar progressive exchange is made at the 
close of each course, and this not only gives everybody a 
chance to meet the most distinguished members of the 
party; it also takes off the edge of stiffness, and makes for 
gaiety. Such a ''change partners" business would be 
unthinkable at a formal dinner, but almost anything that 
promotes amusement and pleasure is permitted at 
luncheon. 

If a tablecloth is used it may either come exactly to 
the edge of the table, or it may hang from four to six 
inches over the edge. Except for a company luncheon the 
tablecloths may be the same as those used at breakfast. 
For company, the cloth may be of fine plain white damask, 
or it may have a stenciled border, or be decorated with 
colored embroidery, or, where cost is not a deterrent, it 
may be trimmed with edging and insertion of heavy lace. 
Very often a drawn-work cloth, or one trimmed with 



THE LUNCHEON 41 

lace inserts, is spread over a cloth of colored linen, satin, 
or silk. This again would not be approved of for the con- 
servative formal dinner, but all kinds of ''frills" are ad- 
missible at luncheon. Perhaps, with all the freedom of 
choice allowed, and sometimes unwisely taken advantage 
of, nothing is prettier for the luncheon table than to set 
it with handsome lace-edged doiUes and runners. These, 
over mahogany or other fine wood, are highly effective 
and beautiful. 

The napkins for luncheon are, as a rule, the same size 
as breakfast napkins, or they may be a little smaller, 
thirteen inches square. At a large and formal luncheon 
the larger-sized napkin, of twenty or twenty-five inches, 
is often used, folded either square or oblong. Fancy 
folding of napkins, especially the many varieties of 
creasing the napkin and arranging it in the water glass, 
is decidedly disapproved of, but a simple, half-fancy fold 
to hold the bread or roll is still allowable at luncheon, 
though never at dinner. Paper napkins, for use with 
fruit, are admissible in the home, but they are tabooed at 
even the smallest and friendliest of company luncheons. 

The fruit doily at luncheon is placed on the plate 
under the finger bowl, and it used to be slipped out from 
there to wipe the fingers. This custom no longer holds; 
the doily is now either so elaborately embroidered in colored 
silks, or is made all of fine lace except a spot in the center 
no bigger than a dollar, that it must be considered more 
for ornament than use ; its original function seems to have 
been forgotten, and the only excuse offered for its pres- 
ence is that it keeps the finger bowl from making a noise 
on the plate. 



42 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS 

Setting and Decoration of the Luncheon Table 

The space allowed for each person and the space for 
each cover is the same as that for breakfast (see page 18). 

The luncheon plate is a small dinner size, about eight 
inches in diameter. As at breakfast, the rim of the plate 
is one inch, the handles of the knives, forks, and spoons 
one-half inch from the edge of the table, and in a straight 
line. But where there are bouillon spoons, or short- 
handled oyster forks, it is allowable to arrange these in a 
graduated form (see illustration, page 30), and it is also 
allowable to arrange the silver at each side of the plate in 
such a way that the handles are alternately one inch and 
one and one-half inches from the table edge. (See illus- 
tration, page 30.) 

For the luncheon the menu for which is giver on page 39 
there is placed at each cover a knife and fork for the fish 
course, a knife and fork for the meat course a fork for 
the salad, and a bouillon spoon. The place for knives is 
invariably at the right of the plate, and that for forks at 
the left, with the single exception of the oyster fork, which 
is placed either at the right, or on the oyster plate. It is 
thought better taste, especially at luncheon, to place 
only three pieces of silver at each side of the plate, and 
these pieces should be so arranged that the one on the 
outside, that is, farthest from the plate and nearest to the 
hand of the guest, is the first to be used. Thus, in the 
cover for this luncheon, the salad fork, the last to be used, 
goes nearest the plate at the left side; just outside it 
comes the fork for the chief meat course, and outside this 
the fork for the lobster, the first one needed, for the 
oyster fork will be brought in on the oyster plate. At the 
right hand the last knife needed, that for the meat course, 



THE LUNCHEON 



43 



is placed nearest the plate; next outside it is the knife for 
the fish, and then the bouillon spoon. 

The water glass, which for luncheon is preferably 




DIAGRAM OF A COVER FOR LUNCHEON 

Key to Diagram of a Cover for Luncheon 



Luncheon plate 

> Bouillon cup and saucer 

Dessert spoon 
Meat knife 
Bouillon spoon 
Salad fork 



9. 
10. 
11. 
12. 
13. 
14. 



Meat fork 
Luncheon napkin 
Bread-and-butter plate 
Butter spreader 
Water goblet 

Individual salt and pepper 



This cover might serve for a company luncheon of the " small 
and early " type. Note that the bread-and-butter plate is laid, 
also the dessert spoon. This last is properly not put on the table 
until just before the sweet course is served, except at a homey 
luncheon where there may not be a trained waitress. 

goblet-shaped, is put at the {)oint of the knife nearest the 
plate. Where much formality is affected it is not thought 
correct to place a bread-and-butter plate at the cover for 
luncheon. In this case, by way of a concession to the 



44 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS 

weaker brethren, a little dish containing butter balls is 
unobtrusively offered by the waitress after the meat 
course is served, and the guest who accepts one is supposed 
to put it on the edge of his meat plate. This inconven- 
ient method of apparently not serving while yet serving 
butter for luncheon is becoming less and less the custom, 
and the hostess now courageously takes her stand on one 
side or the other, and decides whether she will be fashion- 
able and formal and deny butter to everybody; or whether 
she will sacrifice smartness to make her guests comfort- 
able, and have a regular bread-and-butter plate at each 
cover, as illustrated on pages 30 and 43. 

If fruit is served at the beginning of a luncheon, except 
when in the form of a fruit cup, or a cocktail, the finger 
bowl is placed as it is at breakfast. Otherwise it is brought 
on at the end. (See next section.) Silver for the pudding 
or other sweet course may be placed in front of the 
luncheon plate, for this saves trouble in the case of an 
inexperienced waitress. Individual fancy dishes of salted 
nuts may also be placed in front of the plate. 

The centerpiece of flowers, on a handsome doily, 
should be artistically arranged either in a low mass or 
a moderately high one, not so high as to obstruct the 
view across the table; or in sprays in quite tall vases, so 
tall that they do not interfere with anybody's view of 
anybody else. This last arrangement is the most diffi- 
cult to make with just the right effect, and is usually 
combined with a low, flat mass of blossoms in the center 
of the table. A round or an oval mirror bordered with a 
wreath of foliage or flowers, or with flowers reflected in it 
from a low dish in the center, is effective, but somewhat 
artificial. Flowers frozen in a block of ice, standing in a 
large glass dish in the center of the table, is another de- 



THE LUNCHEON 45 

vice, more ingenious than agreeable, since it savors of a 
straining after effect. A miniature Japanese garden, an 
imitation rockwork, a Jack Horner pie, spun-sugar baskets, 
and countless other forms of decoration are used for the 
center of the luncheon table. 

Instead of lights at the luncheon table, slender glasses, 
each holding a single rose, or a carnation, or a lovely 
blossom of any kind, are put at each guest's place, or 
where candles would be placed at dinner. 

Care should be taken not to overdo this matter of 
decoration of the luncheon table, for very often it is so 
heaped up with pretty favors for each guest, with oddi- 
ties in the shape of curious ornaments, with ribbon sashes 
and bows, that the luncheon can hardly be seen through 
its excessive adornment. It should not be necessary to 
say that the hostess of good taste will avoid such extremes. 
^'Favors" at luncheon are placed at the left of the cover. 

Serving the Luncheon 

Before luncheon is announced the hors-d'oeuvres are 
put on the table. Hors-d'oeuvres mean the dishes outside 
of the regular courses, that is, certain odds and ends of 
pretty things to eat, placed on the table in fancy dishes. 
These ''eats" are always a selection of finger foods, such 
as radishes, olives, small strips of curled celery, pieces of 
crystallized ginger, candied peel, glaced or salted nuts, 
bonbons, etc. From two to four small decorative dishes 
containing your choice of hors-d'oeuvres are arranged on 
the table, somewhere near the corners, or flanking the 
centerpiece. These may be passed by the guests to one 
another between the courses, or a waitress will put one 
of the dishes in turn on a small salver and offer it at the 
proper time. It is well to have part of the hors-d'oeuvres 



46 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS 

suitable to serve early in the meal, like celery, radishes 
or olives, and part suitable to be served later on, such as 
candied peel or glaced nuts. Hors-d'oeuvres should not 
be confounded with the dishes of pickles or jelly which 
are offered as an accompaniment to the regular courses; 
they are on the contrary eaten between courses. 

Rolls and butter are placed on the bread-and-butter 
plates, as for breakfast; or if butter is withheld a roll or a 
piece of bread is placed between the folds of each napkin. 
Bread is cut in little chunky pieces three or four inches 
long, and one and one-half inches square, without crust. 
It is laid under a fold of the napkin to keep the surface 
from drying out, but in such a way that its presence is 
evident, so that the guest will not be likely to let it drop 
on the floor in picking up the napkin, as is not unlikely 
to happen if the bread is subtly concealed. A fancy folded 
napkin is permitted to enclose a crusty luncheon roll, 
or it too may be put under a napkin fold like the bread. 

The water glasses are filled as for breakfast; and at 
the very last moment, just before luncheon is announced, 
the first course of the meal is placed at each cover. This 
may be the little frilly beginning of fruit, or the oysters, 
or the bouillon or cold soup. A jellied bouillon is made 
very attractive by putting each portion through a potato 
ricer into the bouillon cups. If the luncheon should 
open with a hot soup, it is customary to have it also al- 
ready served before the guests take their places, but the 
hostess who has a heart for their comfort will not do this, 
for the soup is sure to be lukewarm before it is eaten. 
x/ To announce that luncheon is ready, a servant will go 
to the door of the room where the guests are assembled, 
and either silently bow to the mistress of the house, or 
address her, saying, ''Luncheon is served." There is notj 



THE LUNCHEON 47 

at even the most formal luncheon, the pairing-off of the 
guests for the processional of entering the dining-room; 
the hostess leads with the guest of honor, the other ladies 
follow, and if men are present they go in last. At a large 
luncheon the guests find their places by means of place 
cards, with or without the help of voluntary assistants, 
but at a small luncheon the hostess indicates where each 
one is to sit. 

One waitress to every six guests is the usual rule, 
though where the serving is complicated and where there 
is abundance of help, one waitress is assigned to every 
four guests. 

The first frilly little course of, let us say, a fruit cup, 
will be served in either a slender-stemmed glass, or in a 
sherbet cup, or it may be served in some odd and pretty 
piece of china. This will be placed on a doily on a small 
plate, which will be set on the luncheon plate proper. 
One-half melon, cantaloupe, or grapefruit is often served 
for the opening course of a luncheon. The spoon or fork 
to use with this course will lie on the doily beside the 
glass or cup. When this course is finished the whole 
thing is removed, leaving the luncheon plate bare. 

Oysters or clams, three, four, or six to each person, 
will next be brought in, arranged on a plate, with one- 
fourth or one-eighth of a lemon, cut lengthwise, in the 
center. Sometimes finely shaved ice is pressed into a 
small cup, and turned out in mound shape in the center 
of each oyster plate. There may be a decoration of sprigs 
of cress, and wee three-cornered sandwiches of brown 
bread and butter may be offered; or a cold piquant 
sauce may be passed, or a spoonful of the sauce may oc- 
cupy the center of the oyster plate instead of lemon or 
ice. When this course is finished the waitress removes 



48 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS 

plate and all as before, leaving the original luncheon 
plate in place. 

The bouillon cup, in its saucer, is then placed on the 
luncheon plate. Bread sticks, or any suitable accom- 
paniment, may be offered. Croutons are usually dropped 
into the soup just before serving. A very dainty and 
particular hostess will see that this is done so shortly 
before the soup is brought on that the croutons will not 
be soggy or soup-soaked; they should retain their crisp- 
ness, at least in part, before they are eaten. The rule for 
the removal of the luncheon plate with the course which 
has been placed upon it is, that it is not removed until 
the first hot course of the meal has been served, but 
whether the soup is warm or cold the luncheon plate may 
be removed when the soup course is finished. 

Various Methods of Serving 

At a small luncheon the hostess may help any or all 
of the courses from her place at the head of the table. 
For the first helping of any course served in this way, 
the waitress fetches two plates from the sideboard; one 
she places before the hostess, the other she retains on her 
small salver until the first is filled, when she deftly ex- 
changes for it the empty plate. After serving the course 
to the first guest the waitress fetches another empty 
plate for exchange as before, and so on. The serving 
salver is covered with a small doily, to avoid noise. 
Where there are many servants, this business of exchang- 
ing the plates, when the hostess helps the course, is best 
done by two. This method of serving, where the dishes 
are helped by the host or hostess, is known as the English 
method. For a small party it gives a home atmosphere 
of hospitality and ease such as no other form does, but it 



THE LUNCHEON 49 

is not practicable except where the number of guests is 
few. 

In service a la Russe, or the Russian method, every- 
thing is served from the sideboard or butler's pantry. 
The luncheon (or dinner) plate has put on it everything 
needed for the course, such as meat, vegetables, sauce, 
etc., and the waitress places it before the guest with one 
hand while she deftly removes the empty plate with the 
other. This is the most convenient method for serving a 
large party. 

In the third method of serving everything is offered to 
each guest, who helps himself directly. For instance, in 
the chief meat course, the meat is carved in the pantry 
into suitable pieces; these are arranged on the platter with 
the serving spoon or fork; the platter is held by the 
waitress on a folded napkin on the flat of her left hand, and 
offered at the left of each guest. It should be^ held low, 
not more than four inches above the level of the table, so 
that it will be easy for the guest to help himself. After 
the main dish of the course has been offered in this way, 
the vegetable dishes are placed on the serving salver, 
and similarly offered to the guests. 

Any preferred combination of all three methods may be 
correctly used at the same meal. For instance, the hostess 
may help the soup, and carve and help the cutlet, while 
the vegetables to accompany this last are offered by the 
waitress, and the salad or sweet course is brought on in 
individual portions a la Russe. 

The following sequence is invariably observed, no 
matter what the method of serving. The main dish of 
the course is the first to be brought on, or offered. After 
this, the vegetables; lastly the sauces, jelHes, pickles, or 
lighter accompaniments. In the English method of serv- 



50 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS 

ing, when the course is finished, the large platter is the 
first to be removed from the table; next, the vegetable 
dishes; then the individual plates of the guests; and last 
the plate of the hostess. 

After the salad course has been removed, the salt and 
pepper, the pickles, jelly, and such of the hors-d'oeuvres 
as were suitable to the preceding courses, such as radishes, 
olives, celery, etc., will also be removed. The waitress 
will then brush the crumbs from the table by means of a 
small folded napkin and a small plate, no bigger than a 
bread-and-butter plate. (See Frontispiece.) The gUtter- 
ing and assertive crumb brush and metal tray are now 
not so much as to be named among us. They carry the 
implication of provision made for the removal of great 
quantities; while the small plate and unobtrusive folded 
napkin seem to assume, more politely, that the removal 
of crumbs is a slight incident rather than a foreseen 
exigency. 

The sweet course is then served, and the silver needed 
for it, if not already on the table in front of the plate, will 
be brought in by the waitress either with the sweet dish, 
or placed after the dish is served. The first is preferable. 
Immediately after the sweet course the finger bowls are 
brought on. Each is placed on a doily on the dessert 
plate, with the fruit knife, the nut pick, or whatever is 
needed for dessert, flanking the finger bowl on the doily 
on the plate. This whole thing is placed before the guest, 
who immediately removes first the fruit knife or nut 
pick, or both, next hfts off the finger bowl and doily to a 
convenient place either in front or at the side, and she 
then has the dessert plate all ready for the dessert. See 
illustrations, page 51. 




THE FINGER BOWL ON DOILY ON DESSERT PLATE 
WITH NUT PICK AND FRUIT KNIFE 




THE GUEST FIRST REMOVES THE NUT PICK AND FRUIT 

KNIFE, THEN THE DOILY, ON TO WHICH 

THE FINGER BOWL IS LIFTED 



52 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS 

Dessert vs. Sweet Course 

Properly speaking, the pudding, pie, ice cream, etc., is 
not the dessert, it is the sweet course, and the dessert is 
the course of fruit, nuts, or both, which is the last course 
of the dinner or luncheon. A little cheese and crackers 
may or may not be offered with this course. The dessert ' 
plate is used for the fruit or nuts, and the dessert spoon 
for the sweet course; and such a confusion of terms gives 
sanction to the common usage of calling a pudding or the 
like dish a dessert — whereas in most of our homes we 
have no dessert at dinner, but we have a sweet course. 

Coffee is sometimes brought on with the dessert, some- 
times it is served in the drawing-room. After the dessert 
is served the servants withdraw, and the guests may 
linger for a little while in conversation, though this lin- 
gering is best done over coffee in the drawing-room, when 
the company may break up into congenial groups. 

Meaning of ^' Serve,'* ** Offer," and *' Remove " 

In the foregoing paragraphs the words ''serve," ''offer," 
and "remove" have been frequently used, and for the 
sake of clearness these will be explained in detail. 

The waitress " serves " when she places the food, etc., 
before the guest without what may be called any co- 
operation on his part, beyond passively receiving it. In ^ 
this way the waitress may serve the soup or bouillon, the 
individual plate of meat or fish, the salad, the after- 
dinner coffee. Tn the dinner or luncheon a la Russe 
everything is served, that is, placed before the guest, by 
the one who waits. Such placing of dishes is done ])y the 
waitress with her right hand, while she stands behind and 
to the right of the guest. 




THE WRONG WAY TO REMOVE 

(The hand nearest the person seated is used.) 




THE RIGHT WAY TO REMOVE 
(The hand farthest from the person seated is used.) 



THE LUNCHEON 55 

Dishes are " offered " when the guest helps himself. 
Thus when the meat platter is passed, or the dishes of 
vegetables, or anything else to which the guest helps 
himself, these are said to be offered. Offering is invari- 
ably done from the left, so that the guest has the right 
hand free. The waitress stands behind and to the left of 
the guest, and offers the platter, or the dish on the salver, 
with her left hand, so that the guest may more con- 
veniently help himself with his right. 

Dishes are " removed " from the individual cover when 
the course is finished, and the plates have to be taken 
away to make room for the next. The waitress may re- 
move from either the right or the left side, whichever is 
the more convenient. Thus, at a square table, seating 
two at each side, she will naturally prefer to remove from 
the ends, rather than from between the seated couple, 
hence she will remove from the right of one and the left 
of the other. The only point to be observed is that 
the waitress uses the hand to remove with that corre- 
sponds to the side of the guest behind whom she stands. 
If she stands at his left side, she removes with her left 
hand; if she stands at his right, she removes with her 
right hand. Otherwise the process of removing a plate 
may be very awkward and disagreeable. See illustra- 
tions on pages 53 and 54, of the right and the wrong 
way to remove. 

Correct Behavior at Luncheon 

The main points of table etiquette at luncheon and 
at dinner are the same, so that all of these will be fully 
discussed at the conclusion of the chapter on the dinner. 
Only one or two small points where the difference between 
the two meals affects behavior will be given here. 



56 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS 

It is thought poHte for each guest to remain standing 
at the left of her chair until the hostess is seated. She 
stands at the left so that she has the use of the right hand 
to arrange her gown as she takes her seat. The chairs 
should be so placed that the guests may conveniently 
seat themselves, and unless there are many servants, each 
one must manage her own chair without assistance, since 
the presence of business or professional men is hardly to 
be expected in the middle of the day, and the American 
luncheon is generally a ladies' feast. 

Since a woman wears her hat and veil to luncheon, 
and, unless she follows the example of the European 
princess, she also wears her gloves, the first thing she 
does after she is seated is to remove the gloves. They 
may be pulled up on the wrist, or taken off and laid in 
her lap. She then unpins and removes her veil, or better, 
turns it up over her hat, or under its brim. After this, 
she opens and spreads her napkin over her lap. The 
luncheon napkin is usually so small that it is opened fully; 
but one of medium size is opened only half way. 

Other points of correct behavior for both luncheon and 
dinner will be found on pages 94 to 111. 



THE DINNER 

The home dinner should be the most enjoyable of all 
the meals. Breakfast, at its best, is only a prelude to the 
work of the day; at luncheon only the stay-at-home mem- 
bers of the household are present; but dinner sees the 
family complete, and the stress of the day over and done 
with. This should bring the feeling of leisure and free- 
dom from care which makes for pleasant conversation 
and for lingering over the meal to listen to good stories 
and to contribute them. To save up for dinner-time all 
the pleasant happenings and adventures of the day, all 
the good jokes, all the interesting incidents, should be 
made one of the family habits. Enjoyment and laughter 
promote digestion and assimilation. 

A well-planned family dinner provides something which 
is specially rehshecl by everybody, and its menu should 
be considerate of every individual's tastes, so that no- 
body may be able to say: '^ There is nothing I like!" 
To provide for each and all in this way does not demand 
a great deal of variety ; it demands only the thought and 
affectionate consideration which makes homemaking a 
labor of love, and one of the pleasantest tasks in the world. 

The dinner is usually the largest and heartiest meal of 
the three, and it is very common to apportion to it a full 
half of the day's rations, leaving the other half to be 
divided between breakfast and luncheon. On this ac- 
count the dinner is a greater tax on the digestion than the 
other meals, and this fact gives rise to a difference of 
opinion amongst dietitians as to what is the correct hour, 
hygienically, for this meal. Shall it be at noon, before 

57 









o 

O 

o 




THE DINNER 59 

the body is too much exhausted by the day's work to 
deal with it; or shall it be postponed until evening, when 
there may be danger of going to bed on a full stomach? — 
about as unwholesome a thing as one can do. 

Like all other disputed questions, there is right on both 
sides. The healthy, hard-as-nails outdoor worker, who 
has never been aware of his digestive processes, may need 
his hearty meal at noon to furnish the afternoon's energy. 
He may eat it at this time with impunity, go to work 
immediately after it, and be none the worse. But if the 
indoor worker, the brain-worker, the student or person 
in business life, eats his heartiest meal at noon, his body 
— incapable of serving two masters — will either allow 
him to tax his mentality while digestion and assimila- 
tion are neglected, or vice versa; and either of the two, the 
brain or the alimentary tract, will have to give up its 
blood supply to the demands of the other. Hence, for 
the town dweller, the teacher, the student, the thinker, 
or for anyone whose wits have to be alive during the 
afternoon, the later dinner hour is the better. The latest 
of late dinners should, however, be over and done with at 
least four hours before bedtime. 

On Sundays and during summer vacations it is quite 
logical to have a midday dinner, for this will give the 
w^oman of the house a long, unbroken afternoon with 
nothing on her mind except the small amount of prepara- 
tion needed for supper. Invalids, delicate women, old 
persons, and children who have no school-work in the 
afternoon may with benefit have their heartiest meal at 
midday. 



60 



BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS 



VARIETIES OF DINNER 

The varieties of dinner are endless, but, though more 
numerous than those of other meals, they may all be 
grouped under two chief heads: the Family Dinner, and 
the Company Dinner. < 




DIAGRAM OF A COVER FOR A SIMPLE DINNER 

Key to Diagram of a Cover for a Simple Dinner 



1. Dinner ]ilate 

2. Dinner knife 

3. Dinner fork 

4. Water goblet 

5. Bread-and-butt€r plate 



6. Butter spreader 

7. Soup spoon 

8. Dessert spoon 

9. Dinner napkin 



At the home table the napkin may be put on the dinner plate, and 
the dessert spoon may go in front of the plate where it will not inter- 
fere with the removal of crumbs from the table. 



THE DINNER 61 

The Family Dinner 

We shall discuss five kinds of family dinner: the sim- 
ple everyday dinner; the Sunday or holiday dinner; the 
fish dinner; the dinner for a busy day; and the dinner 
which is shared by a guest. 

The Simple Family Dinner 

This usually consists of a meat course with its appro- 
priate sauce or gravy, with potatoes and one other vege- 
table, also pickles or a relish of some kind, bread and 
butter, a sweet course, and coffee. The following is a 
sample menu. 

Simple Family Dinner 

Mutton Cutlets. Currant Jelly Sauce 

Steamed Potatoes 

Mashed Turnips. Pickled Beets 

Bread and Butter 

Raisin Pie. Coffee 



The Sunday or Holiday Dinner 

The Sunday dinner is supposed to be the best of the 
week, the one that will be most enjoyed by all the family. 
The choicest foods in the market will be chosen for it, so 
far as the purse may afford them, and the cost of the 
dinner will probably be twice as much as that on any 
other day of the week. The menu that follows is typical 
for the Sunday dinner of the average American family. 



62 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS 

Sunday or Holiday Dinner 

Roast Stuffed Chicken. Giblet Sauce 
Sweet Potatoes. Creamed Asparagus 

Rolls. Butter 
Strawberry Ice Cream. Sponge Cake ( 

Coffee 

The Fish Dinner 

A fish dinner is very often served on Friday, or on at 
least one day of every week. Since fish is less pronounced 
in flavor than meat, it calls for piquant accompaniments 
in either sauce, relishes, or vegetables. The lean fish, 
such as codfish, haddock, flounder, etc., need a rich sauce; 
while the fat fish like mackerel, salmon, shad, etc., ought 
not to have a rich sauce, but rather an acid one. It is 
also well to furnish additional protein in the form of eggs, 
cheese, or nuts, with a dinner of fish, since its average 
content of protein is not so great as that of meat, nor is it 
so good for body-building, being more gelatinous. Fruit 
is a grateful accompaniment to a fish dinner, and will be 
relished for the sweet course. 

A Fish Dinner 

Baked Haddock. Egg Sauce 

Potatoes Stuffed with Cheese. Buttered Beets 

Brown Bread. Butter 

Sweet Pickled Pears 

Plum Tapioca Pudding 

Coffee 

The Dinner for a Busy Day 

At spring cleaning times, on wash days, or days when 
the woman of the house has on her hands a church fair, 



THE DINNER 63 

a strenuous meeting of her club, a bridge party, or one of 
a dozen or more activities which leave her little time for 
work in the home, she ought to plan the dinner which is 
easiest to prepare, and which at the same time is nutri- 
tious and appetizing. The one-piece, or one-dish, dinner 
fulfils these specifications. This is a dinner which has 
meat and vegetables cooked in one dish, which is served 
from one dish, and which constitutes a complete dinner 
with the addition of a salad, a fruit dessert, bread and 
butter, and coffee. 

The following is an example of a good one-dish dinner. 

Baked Bean Loaf 

Lettuce and Orange Salad 

Bread and Butter 

Berries and Cream 

Coffee 

The bean loaf is made by mixing one cupful of baked 
beans, mashed through a colander, with two cups of 
bread-crumbs, squeezed out of hot water, and seasoned 
with three tablespoonfuls of butter, two teaspoonfuls of 
salt, one-half teaspoonful of pepper, one small onion, 
chopped, one-half cup of chopped celery, and one table- 
spoonful of lemon juice. Bind with two well-beaten eggs. 
Turn the mixture into a baking dish, and pile over the 
top three apples, pared and quartered; and four potatoes 
pared and sliced. Cover, and bake one and one-half 
hours, removing the cover at the close to brown the 
potatoes. 

This dish may be prepared in the morning, or the night 
before. It may, if the housemother is absent all day, be 
cooked in the fireless for almost as long as she pleases, 
without suffering any hurt, or it may be cooked in the 
morning and heated in a few minutes for dinner. Ground 



64 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS 

nuts may be substituted for the baked beans, and other 
alterations may be made to give variety. 

The Family Guest Dinner 

By this is meant the informal home dinner to which 
one or two, or even a small group of friends are invited. 
No dinners are more enjoyable than these, and to none 
is an invitation more welcome. It is extremely compli- 
mentary as implying that you take the guests right into 
your family life, for the intimate and delightful converse 
that is developed in a small party. The dinner should 
therefore be a family dinner, so far as the number and 
order of the courses goes; but it should be a family dinner 
of che finest possible quality. The following menu is 
typical of a simple guest dinner. 

Home Dinner for a Small Party of Friends 

I 

Prime Rib Roast of Beef. Dish Gravy 

Olives. Pickles 

Mashed Potatoes. Succotash 

Fresh Sliced Tomatoes on Lettuce 

Deep-Dish Cherry Pie 

Coffee 

This menu, which includes only a few dishes, but all of 
good, well-known kinds, and of excellent quality, served 
in liberal helpings and entirely without ''frills," is of the 
kind called by a clever woman writer, ''a man's dinner." 
Such a dinner, she makes one of her characters say, if 
served to any man, be he the most distinguished, will be 
likely to please him more than a banquet of twelve courses. 
Therefore this kind of dinner-menu, varied in detail only, 



THE DINNER 65 

will meet with approval on seven days out of the week 
where the male element predominates in the family. 

The following menu represents a different tj'pe of the 
family guest dinner. 

Home Dinner for a Small Party of Friends 

II 

Larded Fillet of Veal. Celery Sauce 

Radish Roses. Candied Kumquats 

Rice Croquettes. Brussels Sprouts 

Apple and Almond Salad 

Pineapple Souffle 

. Coffee 

The lighter and more fancy touches and the daintier 
dishes of this menu show that it is meant for a ''woman's 
dinner"; and also that the woman or women to be enter- 
tained are neither of the athletic, the business, or the 
professional type. 

Almost any dinner good enough for the family will be 
good enough for the intimate family guest; with the addi- 
tion of a little something such as a soup, a salad, or some 
extra choice relishes, to show the friends that something 
special has been done for their entertainment. Both 
soup and salad, especially the last, should appear on the 
family table much more commonly than they do. Neither 
is difficult to prepare, but to serve either one certainly 
adds a good many dishes to be washed, and this is prob- 
ably the reason for their customary absence. 

The Formal Company Dinner 

For any dinner that pretends to formality there must 
be at least six courses: soup, fish, meat, salad, a sweet 



66 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS 

course, and coffee. Each of these is served with its cor- 
rect accompaniments, as in the following sample menu 
for this simplest type of the formal dinner; and two or 
more hors-d'oeuvres are usually included. The courses and 
their accompaniments are spaced off from one another, 
and the hors-d'oeuvres are enclosed in parentheses. , 

Formal Dinner 
I 

Tomato Bouillon. Croutons 

Fillet of Sole. Parsley Sauce 

Sliced Cucumbers 

Parker House Rolls 

(Ohves. Salted Pecans) 

Roast Leg of Lamb. Mint Sauce 

Duchess Potatoes. Green Peas 

Romaine Salad. French Dressing. Saltines 

Pineapple Bavarian Cream. Lady Fingers 
(Nuts. Bonbons) 

Coffee 

When we note that the foregoing is one of the simplest 
forms of the formal company dinner, it will be seen that 
it is not one which is convenient for the servantless home. 
A trained waitress is indispensable even if the mistress 
of the house undertakes the cooking. It is estimated 
that something over ninety per cent of our American 
homes are servantless, and in a home which belongs to 
this honorable majority such a dinner had better not be 
attempted. It will not promote more enjoyment than a 
simpler one, and the stress involved in its preparation 
and serving will prevent the hostess from being at her 



THE DINNER 67 

best, with body and mind rested and animated for the 
entertainment of her guests. 

Where there is a staff of trained servants a sUghtly more 
elaborate form of the company dinner may be served. 
Such a dinner wiU open with an appetizer such as a sal- 
picon or canape; this will be followed by oysters or shell- 
fish; then soup; fish; the meat course; a frozen punch, 
sherbet, or granite; game; salad; a hot sweet dish; a cold 
sweet dish such as ice cream; a dessert of fruit, nuts, 
bonbons; and coffee. 

A yet more elaborate and complex form of the company 
dinner has two entrees, the first comes on after the fish, 
and this is the more substantial of the two; the second 
and lighter entree is served after the roast. Examples of 
these long-drawn-out feasts are shown in the following 
menus, which are both expansions of the formal dinner- 
menu given on page 66. 

Formal Dinner 

II 

Anchovy Canapes 

Oysters on Half-Shell 

Tomato Bouillon. Croutons 

Fillet of Sole. Parsley Sauce 

Sliced Cucumbers 

Parker House Rolls 

Olives. Salted Pecans 

Roast Leg of Lamb. Mint Sauce 

Duchess Potatoes. Green Peas 

Fruit Sherbet 

Reed Birds. Romaine Salad 

Custard Souffle 

Pineapple Bavarian Cream. Lady Fingers 

Nuts. Bonbons 

Coffee 



68 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS 

In writing the menu for the still more elaborate formal 
dinner, it will be divided into its several courses, these 
will be numbered, and will be briefly described in general 
terms. 

Formal Dinner 

HI 

The Beginning 

Very small portions of some appetizing relish, such as 
a salpicon or canape, are often served at the beginning of 
a formal and elaborate dinner. These are not strictly 
considered one of the regular courses, and may be omitted 
at discretion. 

The Salpicon, which means salted bits, may be a mix- 
ture of two or more kinds of fruit, cut into small pieces 
with lemon juice poured over, and placed at each cover 
in a small, stemmed glass. Or it may be bits of delicate 
meat or fish, with small pieces of pickle. It is illustrated 
in the picture of the cover on page 58. 

The Canape, which literally means the couch, is a 
strip of thin, crisp toast, spread with anchovy paste, or 
caviare, or something of the kind, and decorated with 
hard-boiled eggs, bits of truffle, etc. A skilful chef deco- 
rates these so very fancifully that they resemble mosaics. 
Canapes may be served on small plates placed at each 
cover, or at a gentlemen's dinner they may be passed in 
the library before dinner is announced. 

I. Shellfish 

When the dinner opens with the little appetizer of the 
salpicon or canape, the oysters or clams are usually served 
on the half-shell. For accompaniments to this course, 
see the section on the formal luncheon, page 47. 

When the appetizer is omitted, the shellfish may be 
served either in the shells, or in the form of a cocktail. 
This course is sometimes combined with the fish course, 
as when a fish turban is served with an oyster sauce. 



THE DINNER 69 

II. Soup 

The correct dinner soup, if there is only one, is a con- 
somme or other clear soup. At a large dinner a choice of 
two soups, a clear or a cream soup, is usually offered. 

Garnishes for Soup. The following may or may not be 
served with the soup from the tureen: forcemeat balls; 
croutons (usually with cream soups) ; royal custard (this 
is a rich, unsweetened custard made with eggs and meat 
stock, molded in decorative shapes no bigger than a 
thimble, and served in the soup); or wee puffs of choux 
paste made by frying minute drops of the paste in deep 
fat, etc. 

Accompaniments to Soup. Parmesan cheese is some- 
times offered by the waitress in grated form, and a spoon- 
ful may be put into the soup by the guest. Other accom- 
paniments similarly offered are small crackers, etc. 
Bread sticks are usually placed at the cover, but they are 
sometimes offered. 

III. Fish 

Any kind of fish is appropriate for this course. The 
usual accompaniments are cucumbers, potatoes or other 
starchy vegetable, and a spoonful of any fish sauce. 
Sometimes the cucumbers are served with a French 
dressing. 

Bread and rolls, if these have not already been placed 
at each cover, are offered with the fish course. 

Hors-d'(Euvres 

Like the appetizers served in the beginning, these prop- 
erly do not form a course, but after the fish is removed 
they are either offered by the waitress, or less formally by 
the guests to each other. The first move is usually made 
by the hostess, who asks the man at her right to pass her 
the dish of olives, radishes, celery, etc. This is the signal 
for a general offering of hors-d'oeuvres by the men to their 
dinner partners. 



70 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS 

IV. The First Entree 

The first entree is served after the fish. It is usually a 
made-dish of meat, like croquettes, or timbales, or it may 
be a souffle of cheese, meat, or fish. It does not need any 
accompaniment other than a garnish of parsley or cress, 
or a small spoonful of sauce. . 

V. The Roast 

This is the main course of the dinner, to which the pre- 
ceding courses led up, and from which those that follow 
are supposed to be in a descending scale. It may be a roast 
joint or a large fowl such as turkey, or it may be venison 
or some other rare meat. Its accompaniments are an 
appropriate sauce or gravy, one green and one starchy 
vegetable; and jelly or sweet pickle may be offered after 
the vegetables have been served. 

VI. The Second Entree 

This is known as the vegetable entree, for it is com- 
posed of either fruit or vegetables, and is a lighter dish 
than the first entree. Cauliflower with hollandaise sauce, 
stuffed tomatoes, artichokes, or any other fine vegetable 
is proper to serve for this course; or fruit or vegetable 
fritters are in good form. 

Vn. Frozen Punch 

A frozen punch; a sherbet or water ice; a sorbet or 
water ice with white of egg added; or a granite, which is a 
water ice frozen in rough lumps, are forms of ices served 
before the game course, the better to prepare the palate 
for this meat. They are served in sherbet cups, or in 
rather flaring stemmed glasses, and without other ac- 
companiment. 

Vm. The Game 

Any game in season is appropriate for this course. Wild 
birds, such as quail or partridge, canvasback duck or teal, 



THE DINNER 71 

steaks of venison or moose, or any other wild meat may 
be used for the game course. The meat is served with a 
sauce, and with celery or some other vegetable. 

IX. The Salad 

A salad of light green vegetables goes best with a dinner 
of many rich courses, and this should be served with a 
French, rather than with a heavy mayonnaise dressing. 
The heavier salads of fish, nuts, etc., are more suitable 
for luncheon, and at this meal may better be served with 
mayonnaise. 

Sometimes the game and salad courses are served in 
one. The game is served first, and if the salad is then 
offered without the provision of an extra plate to put it 
on, the guest may take it for granted that it goes on the 
same plate wdth the game. To combine the serving of 
these two courses is often convenient, as shortening the 
time of the dinner; yet since the game is a hot course and 
should be served on a warm plate, the salad will not be 
at its best if put upon the same plate. A plate for each 
will be awkward for the guest to manage, so the riddle is 
sometimes solved by placing for the salad a plate of semi- 
circular form a little to the left of the plate which holds 
the game. 

X. The Sweet Course 

While the two preceding courses, the game and the 
salad, are often combined, the sweet course at a large 
formal dinner is just as often divided, so that it really 
forms two courses. The first wall be 

The Hot Sweet 

This may take the form of any rich pudding, whether 
it be served warm or cold. A souffle, a fruit pudding, a 
bavaroise, a rich jelly, etc., with its proper sauce, is 
served for what may be called Part I of the sweet course. 
For Part II is provided 



72 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS 



The Cold Sweet 

This is usually a frozen dish, either ice cream, or a 
mousse, a parfait, a Nesselrode pudding, or any other 
form of delicious ice. There may or may not be served 
with this either sweet crackers or cake. Macaroons, 
lady fingers, sponge or pound cake, or something extra 
fine in the line of cookies, all go well with ice cream. But 
plain, unsweetened crackers should be served only with 
water ices, and these are less correct than ice cream for 
the sweet course of a company dinner. 



XI. The Dessert 

(For the difference between dessert and sweet course, 
see page 52 of the section on the luncheon.) 

Fresh fruit is in place for dessert, and grapes, pears, 
peaches, or other fine fruit, offered from a handsome 
epergne or silver fruit basket, makes a very decorative 
dish. But fresh fruit may be omitted without the slight- 
est infringement of good usage, and nuts and raisins, or 
candied or crystallized fruit may form the dessert course. 
Bonbons, candied orange peel, or crystallized ginger will 
usually be found in hors-d'oeuvres dishes, and will be 
passed after the dessert course has been removed, and 
these dishes remain on the table through the next and 
last course. 

Xn. The Coffee 

This is correctly served in small after-dinner coffee 
cups, without either sugar or cream. Yet, as in the case 
of the butter at luncheon, the hostess may modify the 
rigors of the rule by having the waitress offer both sugar 
and cream to every guest, so that each one may follow 
his preference. 



THE DINNER 73 

We now propose to summarize the correct procedure 
for the meals in general, from the first steps to the last, 
in regular order. To this end, there will first come a dis- 
cussion of 

How to Write Invitations 

Like everything else pertaining to the meals, invita- 
tions are of two kinds, informal and formal. A very in- 
formal invitation between close and intimate friends may 
be verbal. An impromptu call across the lot, or a friendly 
message over the telephone, is admissible between close 
friends, but outside the bonds of kinship, or friendship 
close as kin, the written invitation is the more com- 
plimentary. 

The Invitation to Breakfast 

It is assumed that your breakfast guest is taken more 
closely and immediately into the fellowship of the family 
than is the guest for any other meal, hence a friendly Httle 
note couched in the least formal terms possible, is per- 
fectly in order, and it may be sent within two or three 
days before the meal. Here it may be remarked that the 
friendlier and less formal the invitation the more friendly 
and less formal is the meal likely to be, so the one invited 
may judge in advance whether she will be treated like 
home folks or company. 

An example of a very informal breakfast invitation is as 

follows: 

KiLMORE Cottage, 
My dear Sally: Friday Evening. 

To-morrow morning at eight o'clock we 're going to have 
flannel cakes, the " kind that grandma used to make." 
We want you and Tom to come over and see whether 
they don't taste good. 

Bring along your best appetites, and please your friends 

The Robinsons. 



74 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS 

A less impulsive and impromptu, but very friendly 
invitation might be written in the following style. 

KiLMORE Cottage, 

Bankside, 
My dear Mrs. Wilson: Aprilthe Fom-teenth. 

Will you and your husband give me and my husband 
the pleasure of breakfasting with us, quite informally, at 
nine o'clock on Friday morning, April the twenty-first? 

Cordially yours, 

Mrs. Thomas Kenton Wilson. Mary Brent Robinson. 

Even for a breakfast in honor of a distinguished guest 
— a breakfast of the formal company kind — the invita- 
tion to this meal is in better taste when written in the 
first person, rather than that third person form which 
seems to hold off the guest at arm's length with its cere- 
moniousness. Such an invitation may read: 

KiLMORE Cottage, 

Bankside, 
My dear Mrs. Wilson: Aprilthe Fom-teenth. 

Will you and Mr. Wilson give us the pleasure of your 
company at breakfast, at half-past ten o'clock on Mon- 
day, April the twenty-fourth, to meet the distinguished 
explorer, Mr. Henry Bailey Drought, who will be our 
guest on that day? y^^^y cordially yours, 

Mrs. Thomas Kenton Wilson. Mary Brent Robinson. 

For a semi-public breakfast such as the annual break- 
fast of a club or society, the third person is most appro- 
priate, and the engraved card is generally used. (See 
The Engraved Invitation, page 77.) 

The Invitation to Luncheon 

The invitation to luncheon should always be sent at 
least a week before the appointed date. It may be written 



THE DINNER 75 

in a cordial and friendly form by the hostess, or it may 
be worded in the third person, according to the elaborate- 
ness of the entertainment and the number of guests — 
as a rule the larger the number the more formal the in- 
vitation. An ordinary form of friendly invitation to 
luncheon is as follows: 

Five Washington Square, 

New York City, 
October the Tenth, 
Nineteen Hundred and Twenty. 
My dear Mrs. Hunter: 

I should be greatly pleased if you would have luncheon 
with me at one o'clock on Tuesday, October the eighteenth. 

Trusting that you have made no other engagement 
which would prevent your giving me this pleasure, I am 

Cordially yours, 

Alice Margaret Overton. 

Mrs. Walton Howard Hunter. 

A more formal invitation to luncheon will follow the 
style for the dinner invitation on page 76. The luncheon 
invitation in the third person will be discussed under the 
heading ''The Invitation in the Third Person" on page 76. 

The Invitation to Dinner 

An invitation to dinner means a greater social dis- 
tinction than an invitation to any other meal, and is 
therefore a more marked compliment. The invitation 
to a family dinner implies both the close friendliness of 
the invitation to breakfast, and the social compliment 
of the dinner invitation proper, and is therefore one of 
the most charming ways of bestowing pleasure and at the 
same time of seeming to give the freedom of your house, 
to the person for whom you thus show regard and honor. 



76 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS 

The invitation to a formal dinner bestows social dis- 
tinction only, but does not admit to the close friendship 
of the family meal. 

The form of the luncheon invitation may be used for 
the family dinner, and this may be sent a week or ten days 
before the date for the meal. The following slightly more 
formal type of invitation is issued for a more formal 
dinner, or a family dinner which includes a greater num- 
ber of guests. 

17 Oakley Street, 

Philadelphia, 
November the Fourth. 
My dear Mrs. Talbot: 

Will you and Mr. Talbot give my husband and me 
the pleasure of dining with us (or ''the pleasure of your 
company at dinner") on Wednesday, November the 
eighteenth, at half-past seven o'clock? 

Yours with kindest regards, 

Mildred Kent Richardson. 

For a very formal dinner the invitation is usually 
written in the third person. Since to the unaccustomed 
this is more fraught with danger than the usual form, 
it will be well to give rather explicit directions for cor- 
rectly writing 

The Invitation in the Third Person 

This has no heading of name or address. It has no 
salutation, such as the beginning ''My dear Mrs. Blank" 
is called. It has no complimentary close, like "Cordially 
yours." It has no signature. It should be completely 
and consistently in the third person, and the pronouns 
of the second person should not occur anywhere. The 
following is an example. 



THE DINNER 77 

Mr. and Mrs. George Hamilton Brown 

request the pleasure of 

Mr. and Mrs. John Carrol Black's 

company at dinner 

on Thursday, March the fifteenth 

at eight o'clock 

Two hundred and twenty-eight Emerson Place 

The Engraved Invitation 

For all large assembhes, such as class anniversary 
dinners, weddings, public banquets, etc., or for large 
dinner parties where the hostess entertains a great num- 
ber of guests, the engraved invitation is convenient, and 
is time and labor saving. The objections to an engraved 
invitation are first, its cost, which for fine cards, en- 
velopes, and engraving, is quite high. Anything but the 
best, in an engraved invitation, should not be thought of, 
and the best is costly. Another objection to the en- 
graved form is its impersonality and stiffness. It is not 
only formal, it may be said to be unfeeling. Of course 
the edge of this stiffness could be taken off by an added 
line of personal urge written by the hostess, but this 
would hardly consort with the engraved style. A more 
serious objection to a woman who is particular about 
small niceties is that the usual style of the engraved in- 
vitation infringes on the rule that it must be consistently 
in the third person. It generally reads as follows: 

Mr. and Mrs. George Hamilton Brown 
request the pleasure of your company 

and this makes a bad mix-up of second and third persons 
which a hostess of fine sensibilities will not stand for if 
she can help it. The only alternative is to leave a blank 
line to be filled in with the names of the guests in hand- 



78 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS 

writing, and this takes too much time when the number 
is very large. 

We have another word of warning to those who order 
engraved invitations. Many engravers run too much to 
capitaHzation, and if not looked out for will capitalize 
the first letter of every line. Thus in the form on page 77 
the words '^ request" and ^'company" will be made to 
begin with a capital. The letters R.S.V.P., which some- 
times occur in the lower left-hand part of the engraved 
card or sheet of paper, will also be fully capitalized, in- 
stead of being written R.s.v.p., which is more correct. 

The insertion of these letters implies that you are not 
confident of your guests' knowledge of social usages, for 
nobody except one ignorant of their simplest forms would 
neglect to reply to an invitation, hence they are better 
omitted. 

General Rules for Writing Invitations 

Since the correct writing of an invitation stamps the 
one who frames it as a person of sophistication and good 
taste, the following rules may be found useful in times of 
doubt or uncertainty. 

1. Abbreviations of words in a written invitation 
imply haste and a desire on the part of the writer to save 
time; they are consequently discourteous. Hence: 

(a) Titles of courtesy or distinction, such as "Doctor," 
''Reverend," ''Honorable," "Esquire," "Colonel," and 
all similar titles, should be written out in full. The sole 
exceptions are "Mr." and "Mrs." 

(6) Proper names should always be written in full, 
unless the initial only is known to the writer. Thus, in 
the body of the invitation, on page 74, we find "Mr. Henry 
Bailey Drought," rather than "Mr. Henry B. Drought," 



THE DINNER 79 

and the inside address of the lady is '^Mrs. Thomas 
Kenton Wilson," rather than ''Mrs. Thomas K. Wilson." 
Also, the writer of the invitation is scrupulous to sign her 
name in full. The sole exception to the rule of writing 
all proper names in full is where they occur in the saluta- 
tion. Here, the familiar mode of addressing the person 
in ordinary intercourse is used, and ''My dear Mrs. 
Wilson" is correct. Also, when the invitation is of the 
quite informal type, such as that on page 73, this rule is 
not adhered to. 

(c) The names of the months should likewise be written 
in full. Contractions such as ''Dec." for "December" 
are now not thought to be in good taste even for business 
correspondence, much less for social. 

(d) Neither should "St." be written for "Street"; 
nor "Ave." for "Avenue." 

(e) Numerals should not be used for dates. "April 
the twenty-first" not "April 21st" is given for the date 
of the breakfast (see page 74), and the little note is dated 
"April the Fourteenth," not "April 14." Very punc- 
tilious persons used to write out the number of the year 
in full, and "One thousand nine hundred and ten" used 
to extend all across the page. A more recent fashion is 
to omit the date of the year except in the case of a wed- 
ding or anniversary invitation. 

(/) Street numbers are more correctly written in full, 
but very often in engraved stationery, where Old English 
text is used, the numerals are substituted, as they are 
somewhat easier to read. Where the invitation is written, 
either form may be used, though the words rather than 
the numerals are preferred by the precise. In the case 
of engraved invitations the street numbers should always 
be written in full. 



80 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS 

2. The salutation, as the opening of the letter is called, 
is more complimentary as well as more ceremonious when 
the word ''My" is used. Hence the form ''My dear 
Mrs. Wilson" is better than "Dear Mrs. Wilson." The 
latter form may be used for very intimate and informal 
notes, or for business. 

3. The spacing, whether the invitation is written or 
engraved, should be so planned that the title, name, and 
surname of the persons invited shall all come on the same 
line, without break or division. 

4. For the complimentary close of an invitation 
written in the first person the phrase "Cordially yours," 
or "Yours with kindest regards," is preferable to "Sin- 
cerely yours," or "Very truly yours," both of which are 
business forms. "Most sincerely yours" might be used 
as a compromise. 

5. The dinner invitation is always extended in the 
name of both the master and mistress of the house. The 
luncheon invitation is usually in the name of the mistress 
only; and the invitation to breakfast may be in the name 
of both, or of the mistress alone. A good rule for break- 
fast and luncheon is that where the master of the house is 
to be present at the meal his name will appear in the 
invitation. 

6. In writing as well as in speech, it is a mark of igno- 
rance of correct social usage to apply titles of distinction 
to one's own relatives. The invitation, therefore, except 
when the impersonal third person form is employed, 
should read: "Will you give me and my husband the 
pleasure," etc., instead of "me and Mr. Robinson," or 
"me and my mother," or similarly, whoever the rela- 
tive may be who entertains with you. Or the word "us" 
may informally include the whole family of the entertainer. 



THE DINNER 81 

On the other hand, unless between close and intimate 
friends, the formal title of the person addressed will be 
used. ''Will you and your husband" is for very great 
intimacy only ; "Will you and Mr. Wilson" is the more 
courteous form. 

7. The rule of uniformity in the use of either the first 
or the third person has been discussed on page 77. 

The Reply to an Invitation 

1. The reply to an invitation, whether to accept or 
decline, should be sent within twenty-four hours after it 
has been received. 

2. The form of the invitation, whether first or third 
person, should be paralleled in the reply. Also, the word- 
ing should be paralleled to some extent. Thus, the reply 
to the breakfast invitation on page 74 may be 

My dear Mrs. Robinson: 

It is with great pleasure that my husband and I accept 
your kind invitation to breakfast at half -past ten o'clock 
on April the twenty-fourth, to meet your distinguished 
guest, Mr. Henry Bailey Drought. 

Most cordially yours, 

Sarah Kenton Wilson. 

3. The phrase '' I shall be happy to accept " is incorrect, 
in that the acceptance is not a matter of the future; it is 
of the present, and should be written: ''I am happy to 
accept." 

The Hour for the Company Dinner 

Seven o'clock, half-past seven, or eight, are the hours 
usually assigned for the company dinner; and the later 



82 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS 

the hour the more formal the dinner. For the home 
dinner to which a guest is invited, the hour may be half- 
past six or seven o'clock. 

Table Linen and Decoration 

Double damask, very fine and very heavy, is proper 
for the company dinner for both tablecloth and napkins. 
The tablecloth may be hemstitched, the hem not more 
than one and one-half inches in depth, or it may have a 
narrow French hem. The napkins should correspond, 
except that if hemstitched the hem should be much 
narrower. Dinner napkins are of large size, though not 
so very large as they used to be, when the yard-square 
napkin was thought proper. Now the dinner napkin is 
not larger than thirty inches square. It is preferably 
folded square for dinner, with the monogram, if there be 
one, on the upper fold. An oblong fold is permissible, 
but not a fancy fold, or a three-cornered one. 

The tablecloth should hang several inches over the 
edge of the table, but not so low that it goes below the 
chair seats. Formerly the dinner cloth used to reach 
nearly to the floor, and was awkward to manage in seat- 
ing the guests. The cloth should properly show only one 
crease, lengthwise, and this should not be very pro- 
nounced. A carving cloth is placed at each end of the 
table when the dinner is served by the host and hostess; 
where a joint is carved by the host and the other dishes 
passed, or served a la Russe, only one carving cloth will 

be laid. 

A handsome centerpiece, preferably all white, is laid 
in the center, and small doilies of rich embroidery or 
lace are used under the finger bowls. These may be em- 
broidered in delicate colors, but apart from this the table 



THE DINNER 83 

linen for dinner is plain white, and anything very fanci- 
ful such as would be proper for luncheon, is absent from 
dinner, where fine quality and a rich and dignified sim- 
plicity are sought for. 

The table decorations are chiefly fights and flowers. 
A beautiful arrangement of flowers in the center, or a 
large candelabrum placed over a mirror surrounded by 
a wreath of smilax, ferns, or flowers is very good. Some 
of the schemes of decoration suggested for luncheon are 
appropriate for dinner, but the rich and formal, rather 
than the gay and bizarre, should be the dominant note at 
this meal. 

The dining-table should be the center of fight in the 
dining-room. Low, indirect lighting, enough to see one's 
way by, is all that is needed, apart from the table lights, 
for artistic effect. Above all, the hostess should avoid 
any form of bright lighting from above the table, or 
higher than the heads of the seated guests, since shadows 
thrown downward from lights in this position are de- 
cidedly unbeautiful, and are most trying to the prettiest 
face. Neither should the fights glare into the eyes of 
those present, and though the use of candle shades is 
optional it is more thoughtful in the hostess to provide 
them, for they are more comfortable for the eyes, the 
decorative effect is better, and they produce a becoming 
reflection on the faces of the guests. Rose color, pink, 
primrose, and very fight creamy green are tints which 
are said to enhance the beauty of a woman's complexion. 
The shades should be so arranged that there will be no 
danger of their catching fire from the candle flames; 
devices that provide a safeguard against this can now be 
bought at any good housefurnishing warerooms. The 
candles may be placed one at each cover, or one between 



84 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS 

t'wo, or a double row of small candles may extend from 
head to foot of the table. Candles should always be 
large enough to last at least through the entertainment, 
and not to flare out in smoke and smell before the guests 
have left the dining-room. 

Where there is not a large candelabrum for the center 
of the table, four handsome shaded dinner lamps, placed 
in a square around the centerpiece, will diffuse a beauti- 
ful and sufficient light to illumine the dinner-table, and to 
bring out the beauty of the fine damask, the glass and 
silver and flowers of a handsomely arranged table. 

Temperature of Dining-Room 

The temperature of the dining-room should not be 
more than 65° or at most 70° Fahr., and of all rooms this 
should be the best ventilated, for the lights, the food, and 
the company will very quickly cause a vitiated atmos- 
phere and an unpleasant increase of temperature. 

How to Set the Cover for Dinner 

Subordination and repetition, the two fundamental 
rules or principles of all decoration, should be kept in 
mind in setting the cover, for the cover is part of the 
table decoration. The beauty of the central ornaments 
should dominate the entire table, and be the first to 
catch the eye; while the covers furnish the element of 
repetition, and in each cover the plate is the center and 
chief element of the scheme, and the silver and glass are 
subordinate to this. 

No more than three pieces of silver should be placed 
at the left, and not more than four at the right, of each 
cover. Of the three pieces at the left, the salad fork goes 



THE DINNER 



85 



next to the plate; the meat fork outside this; and the 
fish fork on the extreme outside. The dinner knife, or 
meat knife, is placed next the plate at the right; outside 
this, the fish knife; next, the soup spoon; and the oyster 
fork on the extreme outside. (See illustration, page 58.) 




DIAGRAM OF A COVER FOR A FORMAL DINNER 

Key to Diagram of a Cover for a Formal Dinner 



1. 


Service plate 


9. Meat fork 


2. 


Dessert knife 


10. Fish fork 


3. 


Meat knife 


11. Dinner napkin 


4. 


Fish knife 


12. Water goblet 


5. 


Soup spoon 


13. Glass for sparkling water 


6. 

7. 


Oyster fork 
Ice cream fork 


1 r * ? Individual salt and pepper 


8. 


Salad fork 





The display of silver in this cover is rather excessive. The oyster 
fork had better be brought on with the oyster course; and the 
dessert knife with the dessert plate. Also, the ice cream fork had 
better be brought on with the serving of ice cream. 

Silver for extra courses will be placed at each cover as 
needed. The silver for the sweet course is not put on the 
table until time for the service of this course; for if placed 
earlier it would interfere with the removal of crumbs 
from the table, which is done immediately after the salad 
course is finished. 



86 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS 

At the family table it is often found convenient to 
place all the silver on the table at once; in this case the 
silver for the sweet course is put in front of the plate at 
the top, for in such a position it will not interfere with 
the removal of the crumbs. (See diagram, page 60.) 

That the handles of the silverware shall all be in a 
straight line one-half inch from the edge of the table is 
more in accord with the rigid formality of the dinner- 
table than that they shall be alternately arranged or 
graded as seen in the illustration on page 30, yet both 
styles of setting the cover are admissible. 

A handsome service plate is placed in the center, one 
inch from the table edge, as for luncheon. 

The dinner napkin, folded square, goes at the left of 
the cover. It is permissible to place the napkin, with the 
roll or bread inside, on the service plate, when this is not 
occupied by a salpicon, etc. But it is a pity thus to mar 
the artistic effect of the cover when a handsome service 
plate occupies the center. 

The place cards may go on the service plate, or just 
beyond its rim, or on the napkin if this does not hold 
bread or roll, or anywhere they will catch the eyes of the 
guests. For a formal dinner, these cards should be plain, 
or with merely the monogram of the hostess. The frilly 
and fancy place cards are right only for luncheon. 

The water goblet, as for luncheon, goes at the point of 
the dinner knife, and if a sparkling water or other bever- 
age is used, the glass for this goes to the right of the water 
glass. (See diagram.) 

Individual salts and peppers may or may not be placed. 
They go just above the service plate. Open saltcellars 
are preferable to shakers, and a wee spoon should be 
placed beside or across each. 



THE DINNER 87 

Menu cards are placed at each cover in the case of very 
large, semi-public dinners, but these are out of place for 
ordinary entertaining in the home. 

The small, pretty plate holding the salpicon or other 
appetizer, if one is served, may be set on the service plate, 
for it adds to the decorative effect, and this little be- 
ginning takes off the awkward edge of waiting for the 
service of the first course after the guests are seated. 

Dinner Dress for Women 

Formal dinner dress for women is low-necked and 
short-sleeved, but the neck need not be exaggeratedly 
low, and the sleeves may cover the upper arm; or both 
neck and sleeves may be filled in with thin, semi-trans- 
parent or transparent material. The guest at a family 
dinner need not wear a low-necked and short-sleeved 
gown; such a simple occasion calls only for a pretty, light- 
colored silk, or even a handsome waist with a fine tailored 
skirt. Such dress is also suitable for wear in hotel or 
steamship dining-rooms while traveling. It is always 
thought good taste for the hostess to wear a simple dinner 
frock, so that she may not outshine her guests. 

Number of Dinner Guests 

''Not less than the Graces nor more than the Muses ^' 
used to be the old-fashioned rule for the number of guests 
at a dinner. Fewer than the Graces (three) would be 
too few for varied and delightful social intercourse; a 
larger number than the Muses (nine) would result in the 
company breaking up into little groups, and would inter- 
fere with enjoyment, which should be general. The 
partie carree, or square party, is of four persons, one at 



88 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS 

each side of a square table. This makes for very close 
intimacy. The dinner of ten, four at each side of the 
table, and one at each end, is as many as can easily share 
in general conversation. 

Men and women should be in equal numbers at a dinner 
party, and should be seated alternately. But when the 
total number present is divisible by four, such as eight, 
twelve, sixteen, etc., this will make an odd number, such 
as three, five, or seven, to seat at each side, with the result 
that it will be impossible to follow the rule which pre- 
scribes the alternation of men and women all around the 
table, unless the table is round, or unless two persons sit 
at each end. The last is not thought a good method of 

seating. 

Time for Arrival of Guests 

Unless for an informal meal, or where a guest is specific- 
ally invited to come early, it is best not to arrive a mo- 
ment before the hour named for the dinner. Formerly 
it was thought correct to arrive precisely on the stroke of 
the hour, and humorous stories are told of guests standing 
in a line around the corner of the street, consulting their 
watches every minute or two, in order to be exactly on 
time. Now it is thought to show more consideration for 
the hostess not to have all her guests come at once; also, 
to be a very few minutes late may allow for some un- 
toward happening at the last moment, which would cause 
a slight delay in serving the dinner. A ten-minute leeway 
is not too much, but to be much later than this is not to 
show consideration for either the hostess or the other 
guests. Professional men such as physicians and clergy- 
men are excused for being late in case of an emergency 
call, otherwise to be so late for a dinner engagement as to 
keep the company waiting, to inconvenience the hostess, 



THE DINNER 89 

and to make it difficult for servants to keep food hot with- 
out being overdone, is unpardonably inconsiderate and 
ill-bred. 

Reception of Guests Before Dinner 

At a dinner of any formality the ladies on arrival will 
be shown by a servant to a dressing-room for the removal 
of their wraps. This room, for the convenience of the 
guests, is preferably planned for on the ground floor, but 
it is often a bedroom, and one flight up. Unless when the 
party is large the gentlemen will leave their hats and 
coats in the hall. The guests should then go at once to 
the drawing-room, where the host and hostess will wel- 
come them, and introductions to the others present will 
follow. 

It is not necessary for a woman to rise when a man or 
another woman is introduced, though it is often more 
gracious if the man is a clergyman or if either the man or 
the woman is older or distinguished. The hostess always 
rises to receive her guests. 

These moments of waiting in the drawing-room until 
all the company is assembled and dinner announced are 
perhaps the most difficult for both hosts and guests. No 
prolonged conversation can be engaged in; there is more 
or less anxiety lest tardy or delinquent guests may spoil 
the arrangements; and the company if not well acquainted, 
or not socially sophisticated, may hang apart. It is there- 
fore the time for hosts and guests to make everyone happy 
and at ease. 

At a dinner for men the company assembles in the library, 
and canapes (see page 68) are passed by a servant and 
eaten from the fingers, as though to initiate good fellow- 
ship by the breaking of bread together. 



90 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS 

Announcement of Dinner 

Dinner is announced as luncheon is by a servant who 
stands at the door, bows to the lady of the house, or ad- 
dresses her, saying, '^ Dinner is served," or ''Madame is 
served." The man of the house is not addressed if a 
woman is present who in any degree takes the place of the 
hostess. 

The Procession to the Dining-Room 

Immediately on the announcement of the formal 
dinner the host offers his right arm to the woman guest 
of honor, and leads the way to the dining-room. The 
other men similarly escort the women whom the hostess 
has indicated as their dinner partners, and the hostess 
herself asks the man whom she most wishes to honor to 
give her his arm, and with him brings up the rear of the 
procession. 

At a small dinner, the hostess may assign this pairing- 
off of couples immediately after the announcement of 
the meal; at a moderately large one she may make the 
assignments on the introduction of the guests in the 
drawing-room; or when the number is very large each 
man finds in the dressing-room or is given by a servant a 
small envelope containing a card with the name of the 
woman whom he is to take in to dinner. If he is not 
acquainted with her he should ask for an introduction 
while in the drawing-room. Sometimes, when a large 
number of guests makes introduction difficult, other 
devices are made use of, and the guests are paired-off by 
being given cards, flowers, or wee knots of ribbon of 
similar color. 

If there should be an odd man, without a woman part- 
ner, he walks in with the hostess, but without giving her 



THE DINNER 91 

his arm; or, by way of dividing her favors, she may take 
his arm, and allow the man who is more honored to walk 
in by himself; or the odd man may precede the hostess, 
walking in alone. If there should be a woman too many 
the hostess walks in alone at the rear. 

The Seating of the Guests 

The host leads the guest of honor to the head of the 
table, where she will sit at his right. The hostess may 
arrange the procession so that the other couples follow 
in order; or a servant may indicate their places; or at a 
small dinner either the host or hostess will point out to 
the guests where they are to sit; or, most commonly, the 
guests will find their places by means of the place cards 
at each cover. When all have found their seats, each 
man draws out the chair of the woman he has taken in, 
and seats her comfortably. This is sometimes done by 
servants, but it is a feat which every man should be able 
to perform skilfully. 

Guests of Honor, and Order of Precedence in General 

At any dinner where guests are entertained, from the 
simplest to the most formal, the guest of honor, if a woman, 
is seated at the right of the host; if a man, at the left of 
the hostess. The woman and the man who are next to 
be honored are seated at the left and right of the host and 
of the hostess respectively. At a family dinner the out- 
sider who shares the meal will naturally be the guest of 
honor; or if two or more are entertained the greatest 
stranger, or the oldest woman, will be the honored per- 
son. The married woman, or the ''Mrs.," is always given 
precedence in seating before the single woman, because 



92 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS 

it is assumed that she is the older — the unmarried 
woman is supposed to remain perennially young. At a 
formal dinner the most distinguished woman is the guest 
of honor, or the most distinguished man. A bride and 
groom, entertained for the first time, are always the guests 
of honor. A minister and his wife, or a clergyman, unless 
persons of greater distinction are present, are always 
assigned the seats of honor. In other cases the rule is 
that the stranger is more honored than the one better 
known; women take precedence of men; older persons 
precede younger; and married, unmarried. 

Husbands and wives should never be seated together, 
neither should brothers and sisters or near relatives. 
Members of the entertainer's family should not, unless 
in exceptional cases, where the dinner is given in their 
honor, be given the seats at either right or left of the 
hosts. 

Where is the Head of the Table? 

This is a question that is still asked by many persons, 
and one which is sometimes answered by those who know 
less than the questioner. The story of the old Highland 
servant who replied to the query by saying that where 
The MacGregor sat, there was the head of the table, has 
been taken as basis for assuming that the seat of the 
master of the house became, by virtue of his occupancy 
of it, the head of the table. This is not so. The head of 
the table is the end farthest from the door by which the 
guests enter. This saves the guest of honor from being 
disturbed by the passing or repassing of other guests. 

So much jealousy and heart-burning seem to have 
been caused in the days of chivalry (and hair-trigger 
tempers) by the desire of every guest to occupy the head 



THE DINNER 93 

of the table, that the story is told of an ingenious host 
who constructed his dining-room of octagon shape, with 
a door at every side, and arranged so that each guest 
entered by a separate door, advanced to the part of the 
table farthest from it and was then satisfied that he sat 
at the head ! 



Who Shall Sit at the Head of the Table? 

The head of the table is the recognized seat of the head 
of the household. It is sometimes occupied by the man 
of the house, sometimes by the woman. Where the man 
is occupied all day by the exactions of business or profes- 
sional life, he likes to be ministered to rather than to 
minister — or administer — in his home. His wife will 
therefore sit at the head of the table and serve the meal 
as if her husband were a guest. Under other circumstances 
the woman of the family sits at the foot, the man at the 
head. 

At a formal dinner the host almost invariably sits at 
the head, to which he advances at once with the woman 
guest of honor; and the hostess sits at the foot, where 
she can command the view of the butler's pantry. But 
sometimes, where the man who is guest of honor is of 
unusual distinction — head and shoulders, so to speak, 
above the rest of the company in rank or reputation — 
the hostess will sit at the head of the table, with this 
most-of-all to be honored one at her right hand. 

If a man or woman entertains alone the man will ask 
some woman relative or friend to take the seat at the 
foot which would be that of the mistress of the house if 
there were one; and the woman will similarly invite a 
man to take the place at the foot. If the English style 



94 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS 

of serving is used the woman may ask a man to sit in the 
carver's chair at the head of the table. 

Good Usage During the Progress of the Dinner 
Disposal of gloves and napkin. As at luncheon, the 
first thing to be done by a woman after she is seated is to 
remove her gloves, but at dinner, as not at luncheon, the 
gloves should be wholly taken off, and not merely pushed 
up over the wrist. The gloves are placed in the lap; to 
put them into an empty glass on the dinner-table, as has 
been done, is very bad form. Men do not wear gloves at 
dinner. The dinner napkin, as well as any napkin Avhich 
measures eighteen or more inches square, is never com- 
pletely unfolded; it is opened only one-half, and is laid 
across the lap, over the gloves. 

The napkin is used to touch the lips with before and 
after drinking, and to dry the fingers after use of the 
finger bowl at the close of the dinner. At the close of the 
formal dinner the guests put their napkins on the table, 
to the left of the dessert plate, but without folding. It 
used to be thought proper for the guests to rise from the 
table and let the napkin fall to the floor, but this is a 
violation of the rule which requires consideration of those 
who wait on table. (See page 111.) 

A guest at the family dinner will similarly lay her 
napkin in loose folds by her plate, even if the others fold 
theirs; but if she is not merely a dinner guest, but is 
staying with the family for a few days, she will do as the 
others at table do. 

The Opening of the Dinner 

At most company dinners there is a morsel of salpicon, 
canape, or other small beginning, placed at each cover 



THE DINNER 95 

ready to eat. The guests may begin to eat this as soon 
as gloves and napkin are disposed of. 

The Shellfish 

Oysters or clams on the half-shell, arranged on a plate 
with their accompaniments, will be placed before the 
guests by the waitresses. They are put on the service 
plate, after removing the small plate which held the 
salpicon. In what now seem remote ages, it used to be 
thought proper for the guests to wait until everybody 
had been served before beginning to eat any course. 
This is no longer done, since it caused embarrassment to 
the hostess to think that the soup or other food was grow- 
ing cold on the plates, and that her guests, for whom she 
had planned a comfortable meal, were perversely mak- 
ing themselves uncomfortable. Hence it is now thought 
more correct to begin to eat at once, or to wait without 
appearing to wait until two or three in the immediate 
neighborhood are served. 

Oyster or clams are eaten with the oyster fork, after 
squeezing over them a few drops of lemon juice from the 
section of lemon. If horseradish or other sauce is found 
in the center of the oyster plate a bit is taken up on the 
fork, and put on each oyster before eating it. 

Courses Served by Host or Hostess 

In the English method of serving dinner the soup, the 
salad, and the sweet course are served by the hostess 
from her end of the table. The salad is usually mixed at 
the table, in one of the great, beautiful salad bowls of 
rare china, so prized by the housekeeper. 

The fish, meat, and all other courses are served by the 
host. If he thinks himself particularly skilful in salad- 
making, he may also be permitted to serve the salad. 



96 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS 

Order of Serving Guests 

The guest of honor, seated at the right of the head of 
the house, is served first. Then the other guests are 
served in the order of their seating, without distinction 
of sex. Where the dinner consists of a great many courses 
it is customary to vary the order of serving, so that no 
one person shall always be the last to be served, but the 
sequence should be so arranged that the guest of honor 
shall never be the last. Also, the guest of honor should 
always be served first to the three chief courses, the soup, 
the meat course, and the sweet course. 

The hostess may, if she wishes, direct that she shall be 
helped first. This for two reasons: first, that no guest 
may be embarrassed by feeling he has to wait to begin to 
eat until she is served, for when helped first, she is able 
to give the signal for those seated in her immediate 
neighborhood to begin to eat, by beginning herself. 
Second, when some new or foreign dish is offered, she is 
able to show by example how it should be dealt with, 
when she receives the first portion. 

The host, if a sparkHng water such as Apollinaris is 
poured, has a very little poured into his glass first; then 
the glasses of the guests are filled, and lastly the host's 
glass is filled hke the others. The reason for this little 
ceremony is that if particles of cork should chng to the 
neck of the bottle, they may fall into the glass of the host 
at the first pouring, rather than into the glass of a guest. 

The Soup 

The portion of soup should not be more than three- 
fourths of a cup. Either a tablespoon or a large-sized 
bouillon spoon is placed at each cover for dinner, and the 



THE DINNER 



97 



guest should dip up the soup from the side of the spoon 
farthest from him, and eat it from the side nearest, so 
that the part of the spoon which touched the Hps never 
goes into the soup. Needless to say that crackers, bread 
sticks, etc., are broken into little pieces and eaten with 
the soup, never broken into it. 




THE SOUP SHOULD BE DIPPED UP WITH THE 
FARTHER SIDE OF THE SPOON 

Another thing which should be, but is not always, un- 
necessary to mention, is that 'Ho eat soup" is the proper 
form of expression — never 'Ho xirink" it. 



Rules for the Service Plate 

The first handsome service plate, set at the cover at 
the beginning of dinner, remains unchanged until it is 
removed just before the first hot course. The little 
salpicon or canape is removed on its own small plate; 
the oysters on theirs; and if a cold bouillon is served the 



98 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS 

bouillon cup and saucer are removed together. If the 
soup is hot, the service plate will be removed before it is 
served, and the soup plate will stand on a dinner plate; 
which will be removed with it, and on its removal a 
second service plate will be sHpped into the vacant place, 
so that in front of the guest there may never be a bare 
space of tablecloth. This rule of providing a service 
plate between every course is adhered to only where the 
hostess has an abundance of these beautiful plates, and 
wishes to please her guests by their variety. For the 
ordinary formal dinner one handsome service plate is 
enough, and this may be left in place only until the serv- 
ice of the meat course. 

The Fish Course 

To use a knife for cutting fish used to be contrary to 
the good usage of a generation ago, but it is now per- 
mitted, and a small silver knife is placed at each cover. 
This may be a knife of breakfast size, or a regular fish 
knife. Except in the case of shad or some such fish, the 
guest can usually manage the bit of fish served for the 
fish course without using a knife. 

How to Use the Knife and Fork 

How anybody holds his knife and fork is one of the 
surest indications of his knowledge of good table manners 
— by this, and by his way of picking up a cup, bowl, or 
glass, he will stand or fall in the estimation of the one who 
looks on, and silently judges. 

To describe how the knife and fork should be held is 
not easy. It is illustrated on page 99. The handles are 
held within the palm of the hand, with the fingers clasped 



THE DINNER 



99 



around them, the forefinger extends downward along the 
handle, the tip presses a little way along the back edge 
of the knife, and rather close, but not too close to the 
prongs of the fork, and the tip of the thumb comes about 
midway between the clasp of the other fingers and the 
tip of the forefinger. A study of the illustration, and ob- 




HOW TO USE THE KNIFE AND FORK 



servation of persons who hold the knife and fork prop- 
erly should make it easy for anyone to acquire correct- 
ness in this important point of table etiquette. To hold 
the knife as if it were a writing-pen — something we fre- 
quently see done — is one of the surest signs of lack of 
good table manners. 

When meat is cut on the plate it is eaten from the fork 
as each piece is cut. To eat the accompanying vegetables 
the knife is laid along the plate, the fork taken into the 



100 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS 

right hand, where it is held similarly to the handle of a 
spoon, and the vegetables eaten from it with the concave 
side of the tines uppermost. The fork is never brought 
towards the mouth at right angles, neither is food piled 
on the tines, but only a little portion close to the tips, 
and it is eaten from the end of the tips sideways. Here 
again, observation will be better than written precept. 

All vegetables not listed among the finger foods (see 
page 107) are eaten with the fork, even potatoes should be 
divided with the fork, and not cut and eaten like meat. 

Croquettes, hashes, fish, and other foods, which do not 
need to be cut on the plate, are similarly eaten with the 
fork. 

Neither knife nor fork should under any circumstances 
be placed by the guest with the handle of either one on 
the table and the tip on the plate; nor should the knife, 
after using, be put back on the cloth; it must be laid on 
the plate. 

How to Pick Up Cups, Glasses, and Bowls 

In raising or moving a cup, glass, bowl, or any other 
piece of hollow ware, the inviolable rule is that the fingers 
should always remain on the outside, and never touch 
the inside, of any such dish. This again is one of the 
small points that indicate whether or not the home train- 
ing along such Hues has been fine and correct. Note the 
illustration on page 101, where though only the tip of one 
finger goes into the cup, and it seems to be daintily raised, 
it is yet incorrectly done, and the one who does it is men- 
tally relegated by the one who looks on to a class where 
perhaps she does not really belong. A cup is raised by 
the handle, a tumbler by holding it with the fingers on 
the outside, a goblet by the stem, a bowl the same as a 




WRONG WAY TO TAKE UP A CUP 





RIGHT WAY TO TAKE UP A CUP 



102 



BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS 



tumbler, or with the fingers of both hands, as shown on 
page 51. 

This rule applies quite as strictly to the removal of 
cups, glasses, etc., by the waitress. The practice in 
Quick Lunch restaurants of putting the fingers inside 
glasses and cups when removing them is not to be toler- 
ated in the home. 




"A TUMBLER IS RAISED BY HOLDING IT WITH 
THE FINGERS ON THE OUTSIDE " 

(The fingers should never touch the inside of any hollow ware.) 

How to Sit at Table 

The body should be erect, the waist line not less than 
four inches from the table edge, and the elbows close to 
the sides, and never farther than six inches from them. 
The dining chair should be of such a height as to bring 
the diner's elbows almost level with the surface of the 
table, but an average has to be struck in this matter, so 



THE DINNER 103 

we find the seat of the dining chair not more than eighteen 
inches from the floor, and the table edge not less than 
twenty-eight. 

The chair for the carver is higher than the others, to 
give him command of the dish he carves, for carving 
should always be done while sitting, not standing over 
the roast. 

Courses Which May Not be Refused 

Oysters, soup, and fish are courses which may not with 
politeness be refused by any guest. If a guest does not 
eat these dishes, he must accept them and make a feint of 
eating. 

Concerning Second Helpings 

Second helpings of the first three courses, oysters, soup, 
and fish, are not correctly offered, asked for, or accepted; 
nor are salads or entrees offered again. 

Neither, in a long dinner of many courses, are second 
helpings of any course offered. This would delay the 
progress of the meal, and inconvenience other guests. 

Also, at the dinner which is served strictly a la Russe, 
where guest's plate is brought fully furnished with the 
foods for each course, a second helping is not offered; 
but in the modification of this form of service where the 
guest helps himself from the dishes offered by a servant, 
a well-trained waitress will watch for the disappearance 
of the first helping, and offer the dish again; or if this is 
overlooked, the hostess should sign to the waitress to 
offer it. 

But at the home dinner, or the not too formal dinner, 
or where the number of guests is small, or in the dinner 
served in the English fashion, it is thought hospitable 



104 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS 

and considerate in the hosts to offer second helpings of 
the main meat course, of vegetables, sauces or other 
accompaniments, and of the sweet course. In making 
this offer, two points must be observed: first, the host 
should not invite the guest to have ''more," or ''another 
piece," of whatever the food may be. It is considered an 
uncourteous and unnecessary reminder to the guest that 
he has already been helped to use the words "more" or 
"another piece." Yet something is needed other than 
the bald invitation to "have some chicken." An ex- 
perienced host will say, "Let me give you this little 
piece of the white meat," or " I have a portion of the brown 
part which I wish you would try," or he will contrive to 
use some other form of invitation whose wording invites 
in a tempting manner, but without the least suggestion 
that he remembers having already helped the guest to 
the dish. 

The second point to be observed is that the invitation 
to a second helping had better be omitted if it is not sin- 
cere and genuine. To wait until all present have finished 
and are sitting with their hands in their laps, and then to 
extend the invitation just before time for removal of the 
dish, is to make it a mockery. Better leave it out alto- 
gether, unless the host has been attending to the wants 
of his guests and has been prompt to offer a helping as 
soon as the first portion has been eaten, or nearly eaten. 

A guest should never hesitate to accept a second help- 
ing if he cares for it. He should remember that if he were 
host it would please him to have his offer accepted, as an 
indication that the food was relished and the guest well 
served. Such a testimony to the excellence of any dish 
should be regarded as a high compliment to the cooking. 

At the home dinner, or where a guest is on intimate 



THE DINNER 105 

terms with the family, it is quite proper for him to ask 
of his own accord for another helping, and where he does 
so it is right that he should use the words ''more" or "an- 
other piece," and not show an ungrateful forgetfulness of 
having been helped before. 

When sending back a plate for a second helping the 
knife and fork should be placed handles together on the 
plate and a little to the right side. 



When a Plate Should Not be Passed to Another 

At the home or family table, when a guest is helped 
first, it is not correct for him to pass the plate to an- 
other. He should assume that this particular portion 
was designed for him by his host, whose wishes he would 
disregard if he refused to accept what was intended for 
him. Similarly at a formal dinner each guest should 
accept the plate sent to him, and not transfer it to an- 
other. 

Conclusion of a Course 

Guests should be careful not to delay the service of 
any course by eating too slowly, and they should be 
equally careful not to make an over-speedy finish. At 
the conclusion of any course the knife and fork should 
be placed on the plate, a little to the right side, and with 
the handles together, the same as in sending back the 
plate for a second helping. 

The host and hostess should always keep up at least 
a pretense of eating until the last guest has finished. 
Also, at every course the plate of the hostess is the last 
to be removed, so that guests may not feel any need to 
hurry. 



106 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS 

Use of Salt and Pepper 

At a formal dinner, individual salts and peppers are 
often omitted from the covers. It is supposed that a 
good cook will season every dish so perfectly that the 
use of extra condiments will be unnecessary; and it is 
therefore thought to be more complimentary to the hosts 
when a guest finds no need to add such seasonings to the 
food. But where the salts and peppers are set on the 
table, it signifies they are meant to be used. The pepper 
is always in a shaker, and how to use this is obvious. 
Salt should be in a saltcellar, with a little spoon to put a 
portion on the edge of the plate. To this the food is 
touched before eating. The salt should never be sprinkled 
from the point of the spoon or knife over the food on the 
plate. Both salt and pepper should be used in an unob- 
trusive manner, rather than with a vigorous and liberal 
hand, as this would seem to call attention to deficient 
seasoning. 

When Accidents Happen 

A glass of water may be accidentally overturned on the 
table by a guest, or even a cup of coffee. A look of apology 
to the hostess is in order, or in case of a serious accident 
a few murmured words, but such apology should be un- 
obtrusive, and should not call undue attention to the 
accident, or interrupt general conversation. The hostess 
will return a smile of reassurance, and will then imme- 
diately introduce a diversion by asking some question 
or relating something interesting, and drawing the de- 
linquent into the conversation. No other guest will 
take any notice of the accident, and a servant will imme- 
diately make good the damage. Amongst friends or very 
close intimates the whole thing may be made the occasion 



THE DINNER 107 

for a joke. But before the guest goes home, if the damage 
is serious, a sincere expression of regret is due to the 
hostess. 

If a spoon, fork, etc., is dropped on the floor by a guest 
nobody takes any notice except the waitress, who should 
immediately replace the dropped article by a fresh one. 
The thing dropped will be allowed to remain on the floor 
until the guests have left the dining-room. 

If a waitress lets a tray fall, or if the sound of an ap- 
palling crash comes from the butler's pantry — the 
kind of crash that means disaster to the best glass and 
china — the hostess must not by look, or word, or the 
movement of a muscle betray anxiety or distress. She 
should not allow the comfort or entertainment of her 
guests to be for a moment interfered with by any domestic 
mishap, and to this end she must hide all trace of her own 
discomfort. Different hostesses will have different ways 
of handling such a situation; one will remain serene, 
tranquil, and unmoved; another will at once engage in 
bright conversation; another will relate some story so full 
of humor and interest that everybody's thoughts will be 
distracted. The guests will of course do their best to 
second the efforts of the hostess to prevent any dis- 
turbance of the ease and pleasure of the company. 

Foods Eaten from the Fingers 

Celery, olives, radishes, artichokes, nuts, raisins, 
grapes, and all raw fruits when divided into small pieces 
with the exception of very juicy fruits, are conveyed to 
the mouth with the fingers. So are bonbons, crystalhzed 
ginger, bits of bread, toast, and cracker, small pieces of 
hard cheese, and very often cake. A rich frosted cake, 



108 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS 

or a layer cake, is usually eaten with a fork. Corn on 
the cob should be served in small lengths, and these it is 
permissible to hold in the fingers while eating the kernels 
from them. Two small silver prongs, to insert in the 
ends of each corn cob, are offered for sale in sets of a 
dozen or more in the silverware stores, but though these 
make the process of corn-eating more dainty to perform 
and more agreeable to witness, the fact that the corn 
season is comparatively short, that the pretty prongs 
are adapted to only that single purpose, and that two 
must be allowed for each guest, has prevented this de- 
vice from coming into general use, so we are still permitted 
to eat corn from our fingers and must try to do it as nicely 
as we can. 

Bones should never be held in the fingers. The meat 
should be cut from them by means of a knife and fork. 

The Close of the Dinner 

At the close of the dinner the hostess will catch the eye 
of the woman at the right of the host (who will expect 
this signal and be ready to meet it), and rise from her seat. 
This is the signal for all present to rise, both men and 
women; and the men remain standing until the women 
have left the room. If a servant is not present to open 
the dining-room door the man who is nearest does this, 
and he stands by the door until the last woman has gone 
through. The hostess usually leaves the room with the 
woman guest of honor, and the others follow without any 
precise or formal order, only that naturally a young 
woman will give way to an older or more distinguished 
one. 

The men of the party will (1) either immediately 



THE DINNER 109 

follow the women, or (2) they will resume their seats for 
a brief while for conversation, or (3) each man, beginning 
with the host, will escort to the drawing-room the woman 
he took in to dinner, in the same order in which they 
entered the dining-room, and having brought her to the 
drawing-room door he will bow and return to the dining- 
room for awhile. The first or second methods are those 
most commonly practiced; the host is the one who shows 
by his example which is to be followed. 

At a formal dinner nobody makes any attempt to move 
his chair back into place, nor should the guest at a family 
dinner do so, but at the home table and especially in a 
servantless house the members of the family and close 
and intimate friends will not violate good usage by re- 
placing the chair a Httle way, so that it shall not be at an 
awkward angle from the table. 

When to Take Leave 

It is quite proper for any guest to take leave of her 
hostess and depart at the close of the dinner, but it is a 
little pleasanter to wait for a short time and enjoy con- 
versation with the other guests in the drawing-room. On 
leaving it is customary to mention to your hostess what 
a pleasant time you had, how much you enjoyed being 
with her, or something similarly gracious. 

At the home dinner or other meal it is not customary 
in this country of hurry for all the members of the family 
to wait until everyone has finished before leaving the 
table. But nobody should rise without asking permis- 
sion of the woman of the house. "Will you excuse me, 
mother?" or "May I be excused, Mrs. Bailey?" are 
polite and customary forms, and the one who asks leave 



110 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS 

to be excused should never make any motion to rise until 
the permission is granted. 

When Not to Make Protest 

If the hostess signalizes a guest for favor of any kind, 
such as first helping; or if she makes way for an older or 
more distinguished woman, or indicates that she wishes 
such a one to precede her, it is a truer courtesy to accede 
to her wishes than to hang back and demur. The wish 
of the hostess should be law to the guest. This moral is 
so well pointed by the story of Lord Stair and King 
George III of England (called the First Gentleman in 
Europe) that we cannot resist giving it. Somebody told 
the king that Lord Stair was the man of all others in his 
kingdom, who was most perfect in courtesy. Desiring 
to test the truth of the report, the king invited Lord 
Stair to ride with him, and motioned him to enter the 
carriage first. Lord Stair bowed, and immediately 
obeyed, thus preceding his sovereign — an unheard-of 
thing for a subject. 

"You are right," said the king when next he met his 
informant and told him what had happened. "A less 
well-bred man would have protested against the bidding 
of his sovereign. He immediately obeyed it." 

Thus the well-bred guest will yield to the wish, expressed 
or implied, of the host or hostess, without a word of demur. 

Such elaboration of detail regarding proper conduct 
at the table is almost enough to frighten one off from com- 
pany meals, or at least to dampen enjoyment at their 
prospect. Yet since in the conduct of the daily meals — 
as in that of all proceedings which are shared in by num- 
bers of persons together — there gradually arise certain 



THE DINNER 111 

fixed customs or methods of procedure, to be able to 
fulfil these customs is nothing more than a sign of good 
training in habits of courtesy. Table customs are not 
mere empty conventions; they are based on the principle 
of consideration for the comfort of others before one's 
own. The dinner-party is a social group, in which the 
guests take first rank, and must be considered first. The 
other members of the group — those who preside, and 
those who serve — co-operate with one another in pro- 
moting the comfort and pleasure of the guests, who in 
their turn show consideration for them. 

All the exactness of prescribed minutiae of conduct 
may thus be traced back to three great principles: first, 
of consideration for the guest; next, for the hostess; third, 
for the waitresses. For example, the waitresses do their 
work noiselessly and in silence, so that conversation may 
not be disturbed. The hostess shows no disturbance in 
the event of accidents at table or disasters in the pantry, 
so that her guests may be untroubled. The guest, in 
sending back a plate for second helping, places the knife 
and fork on it rather than on the cloth, where they may 
cause a stain; and they are put, not in the center, but at 
the right side of the plate, to make it easier for the carver 
to put on the helping. So every other formality may 
likewise be traced to some principle of courtesy. It has 
been said that one who is imbued with the true spirit of 
fine courtesy will make no serious mistakes at a formal 
dinner, even should some of the trivial niceties be inad- 
vertently transgressed. 



CONCERNING TABLE CHINA, GLASS, 
AND SILVER 

China: Sizes and Shapes 

The dinner plate of full size is at least nine inches in 
diameter. The broad rim or edge which surrounds it 
should be flat, that is, should not slant towards the center. 
This rim is the proper place for a guest to put the wee 
spoonful of salt (see page 113), and if it is too slanting the 
salt will run over into the center of the plate and cause 
discomfort and inconvenience to the diner. The dinner 
plate may or may not have a more or less highly decorated 
border, but it should preferably not have a decoration in 
the center. The decorated center is more suited to the 
service plate, where it will not be hidden by placing food 
over it. 

The service plate is used for an exchange between 
courses. (Seepage 113.) This plate may, or may not, be 
somewhat larger than the dinner plate; it is usually 
flatter, that is, it lies closer to the table; it should be 
richly decorated in both the center and the border, and 
be of the finest china the hostess can afford. 

The soup plate may have a deep rim like the dinner 
plate, or it may be without a rim. The last is the newer 
design. 

The luncheon plate is shaped like the dinner plate, but 
it is smaller, being only about eight inches in diameter. 

The breakfast plate may be only seven inches in 
diameter. This size is also used for salad and for dessert, 

112 



TABLE CHINA, GLASS, AND SILVER 



113 



and the luncheon size is often used for breakfast, especially 
where meat is served. 

The bread-and-butter plate is about six inches in 
diameter. 

The size of plates varies in different sets of china, but 






BREAKFAST, LUNCHEON, AND DINNER PLATES, SERVICE 

PLATE, AND CRESCENT-SHAPED PLATE 

FOR SALAD 



the four sizes, for bread-and-butter, breakfast, luncheon, 
and dinner, are always distinct in a complete set. The 
present tendency seems to be to run to slightly larger 
sizes in the last three. 

The teacup in its original form was low, shallow, and 
without a handle. It resembled a sauce dish rather than 
a cup, and that it was not meant to be a cup may be un- 
derstood from the old-fashioned phrase, "a, dish of tea," 



114 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS 

which used to occur in eighteenth-century novels. Though 
the dish gradually grew into cup shape, there is even to- 
day a reminder of its origin in that the teacup is shallower 
in proportion to its height than the coffee or the chocolate 
cup. Different shapes of teacups are illustrated on 
this page. 

The coffee cup is larger than the teacup, is higher in 
proportion to its circumference, and is more cylinder- 
shaped. See illustration. 

The chocolate cup is smaller than either the tea or 




1. The " dish " 2. The flared 3. Typical teacup 4. This shape 

of tea edge of today preserves the 

5. Typical cofTee heat of its 

cup of today contents 

coffee cup, and inclines in shape to the coffee cup, though 
it is higher and narrower in proportion. 

The after-dinner coffee cup may be large enough to 
hold four ounces, that is, eight tablespoonfuls of liquid; 
or it may be almost as small as a toy or a thimble. In 
shape it is usually a severe little cylinder, but it may be 
curved and flared. 

The cup which narrows at the top is liked by many 
housewives, for it tends to conserve the heat of any 
beverage served in it, while the flaring shape very quickly 
yields up the heat of its contents. That the shape of the 
cup may mean more or less comfort at breakfast on a cold 
winter morning is something to be borne in mind when 
choosing the breakfast china. 

The coffeepot in its simplest and most, characteristic 
form is a rather tall vessel with a broad base, narrowing 



TABLE CHINA, GLASS, AND SILVER 



115 



slightly towards the top and with the spout at the upper 
part. The broad base makes it difficult to overturn; and 




12. 3 

1 and 2. Coffee pots of typical shape 3. Teapot of typical shape 

since the grounds settle at the bottom the spout at the 
upper part should deliver clear coffee into the cups. 
The teapot has its spout lower down, for the perfora- 




1. A graceful shape. Note 
high spout, making over-filling 
impossible. Note absence of 
sharp angles where handle joins 
body of pitcher, making easy 
its cleansing. 



2. An ungraceful shape, and 
difficult to keep clean. Easy 
to over-fill or to overflow when 
pouring, because delivery point 
of spout is lower than rim of 
pitcher. 



tions where it joins the body of the pot are believed to be 
a sufficient safeguard against the leaves coming through. 

The chocolate pot somewhat resembles the coffeepot 
in shape, and it, too, has the delivery spout at top, to 
avoid sediment. 



116 



BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS 



In choosing these and all other tableware it should be 
borne in mind that their beauty depends on good lines 
and good proportions, on simplicity of effect, and freedom 
from unnecessary curves and curlicues. On these condi- 
tions also depends the saving of time and labor in washing, 
and the ease with which tableware may be kept in a sani- 
tary state. The illustrations on page 115 illustrate the 





1. Tablespoon 

2. Bouillon spoon for use with 

soup plate 



3. Bouillon spoon 

bouillon cup 

4. Dessert spoon 

5. Teaspoon 



use with 



difference between simplicity and distortion, between 
the lines which make for ease in cleansing, and the curves 
which so easily collect and hold dirt, and from which it is 
so hard to dislodge it. 

Silverware 

The same rules of simplicity in decoration apply to 
silverware. Some pieces are so heavily embossed or are 
shaped with so many angles in unexpected places as to be 
difficult to handle as well as difficult to cleanse. Those 
with smooth curves and delicately chased lines of orna- 



TABLE CHINA, GLASS, AND SILVER 



117 



ment are pleasanter to the hand, easier to keep clean, 
therefore more sanitary; and these are the kind manu- 
factured for the higher class of trade by the best silver- 
smiths. ' 

Three sizes of spoons are the tablespoon, the dessert 
spoon, and the teaspoon. The first is used for soup, or 




1. Fruit knife, individual 

2. Butter knife, to help butter 

from dish 

3. Butter spreader, individual 

4. Oyster fork, individual 

5. Fish fork, individual. This 

sometimes has a broad 



%jj 



prong at the right as well as 
at the left side 

6. Fish knife, individual 

7. Salad fork, individual. Note 

broad, pointed, shghtly flar- 
ing prongs. 

8. Ice cream fork 



for serving vegetables, etc.; the dessert spoon is used to 
eat breakfast cereal, or sweet puddings, etc. It is not 
proper to use a teaspoon for these purposes. 

Bouillon spoons are made in two sizes : one for luncheon, 
for use with the bouillon cup; the other for the dinner 
soup. 

The dinner knife and fork. The knife should have a 
sharp cutting edge, and both the knife and fork are 
larger than the others in size. 



118 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS 

The breakfast knife and fork are smaller, and are 
often used for luncheon. 

The fish knife and fork are distinctive in shape. The 
knife has a point at the end of the blade, and the fork has 
two extra broad prongs — or sometimes only one — at 
the outside. A breakfast knife and fork may be used 
for fish. 

Salad forks are also made in distinctive shape, with 
slightly fiaring prongs, but for this course, too, the 
breakfast or luncheon size may be placed. 

Glassware 

Real old cut glass of good design is always beautiful, 
and where there are servants with nothing much to do 
except to take care of it, is delightful to the eye on the 
dinner-table. The imitation pressed glass is an abomina- 
tion. On the whole, for the average housewife, the plain, 
undecorated forms are the best purchase. Glassware 
adorned with gilding and decoration is often seen on 
the luncheon table, and adds to the pretty effect. Gild- 
ing and decoration are out of place applied to finger bowls, 
which are intended for a mild form of washing the fingers, 
and are not meant to have attention called to them or 
their function. 

The Choice of Decorated China 

Plain white china goes with every color scheme, and is 
above criticism. So does exquisite lustrous ware like 
the Beleek, in soft creamy or deUcate pastel tints, but the 
cost prohibits the use of such for general purposes. Un- 
reheved white, or an all-over neutral tint, is good buying 
with a view to its use in combination with any and all 



TABLE CHINA, GLASS, AND SILVER 119 

color decorations. So is the ever-lovely white and gold 
decorated china. Here the decoration is best confined 
to a slight emphasis of the structural lines of each piece, 
like a narrow gold band around the edge of cups, saucers, 
and plates. Such a breakfast set, in white and gold, 
arranged on a sage-green cloth, with a bowl of apple 
blossoms in the center of the table, would be a thing to 
charm the eye for the opening meal of the day. But the 
gold which is guaranteed not to rub off in daily wear is 
costly, and nothing else, not even a little band of prim- 
rose yellow, will take its place as fitting in with other 
colors. The safest choice for a next-best is a multicolored 
band or border, where though every color is present no 
one color predominates, and which harmonizes with 
everything on the table as perfectly as a Persian rug does 
with everything in a room. 

The pattern of the decorative border is even more im- 
portant than its tints, as an indication of the artistic 
sense of the house-mistress and as a means of giving 
pleasure to her guests. Conventionalized designs are 
always to be preferred to unconventionalized forms; but 
beware of the geometric forms which have to be distorted 
when applied to a circular dish such as a cup or plate. 
Thus, concentric circles, or parallel lines, are adapted to 
any piece of table china, but the beautiful Greek fret 
becomes distorted when applied to the rim of a dinner 
plate. A deep band of small-diapered pattern, in which 
four medallions are inset, is a beautiful decoration, but 
few maids can be trusted to set each plate with its medal- 
lions exactly four-square. The same objection applies 
to monogramed china. It is always lovely, but becomes 
irritating when set awry. 



THE BALANCED MEAL 

Protein and Calories 

Hardly anybody now needs to be told that in a bal- 
anced meal the three classes of nutrients, protein, fats, and 
carbohj^drates, should be represented. Neither do many 
persons wholly lack information regarding the fact that 
a certain number of calories are needed daily by the 
human body, and that this number varies with the 
amount of work done, and other conditions. 

The protein requirement for the average adult may 
be estimated to be from two to two and one-half ounces per 
day. This strikes a mean between the high-protein and 
the low-protein school, and the individual who does best 
on a greater or a less amount may make the respective 
alteration within reasonable limits. 

The calorific requirement is not so easy to state with 
approximate exactness. This depends chiefly on the 
amount of work done by the individual. The following 
table is according to accepted standards. 
No. of Calories Class of Persons 

2500 to 3000. Persons whose work is done for the most 
part while sitting, such as clerks, 
teachers, physicians, seamstresses, 
tailors, shoemakers, etc. 
3000 to 3500. Persons whose work, though not very 
laborious, is done for the most part while 
standing or walking, such as mail-car- 
riers, carpenters, farmers, houseworkers, 
etc. 
3500 to 4000 Persons engaged in work that calls for a 
and over. great deal of muscular effort, such as 

lumbermen, stevedores, and many 
others. 

120 



THE BALANCED MEAL 121 

This is a simple and sufficiently good rule for the calo- 
rific requirement of a large or moderately large group of 
persons. But when dealing with a single individual, or 
a very small family group, it is not safe to be too dogmatic 
as to how much protein or how many calories should be 
allowed. This may better be done in the feeding of farm 
animals, where a correctly balanced diet can be pre- 
scribed with a great deal of exactness, and such pre- 
scriptions have been found by the farmer to work well 
and profitably. But the human animal is more highly 
organized nervously, and the nerves are unaccountable 
things. Assimilation of food is controlled by the trophic 
centers, which are ruled by the nerves, and their efficient 
functioning depends not only on whether the life is one 
of work or rest, but also on the temperament, and on 
the mental state, of the one who works or rests. It de- 
pends further on age, sex, climate, season, on personal 
idiosyncrasy, and often on appetite and preference and 
mood. How to adapt his food to these varying condi- 
tions may best be studied out for himself by the indi- 
vidual of good training and of well-balanced mind, for 
the precise and exact specification of all the details of diet 
for a single individual by another is one of the things 
which should be classed as ''knowledge that is too won- 
derful, it is high, man cannot attain it." To prescribe 
for a school, a college, an orphanage, a hospital, a camp, 
or even for a large family, is a different thing. This may 
be done with admirable success, for the individual differ- 
ences adjust themselves, and the average is likely to come 
out pretty nearly right. 



122 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS 

Acid- and Alkali-Producing Foods 

Besides protein and calories, we should take account 
of the acid- and alkali-producing foods. An acid-produc- 
ing food does not necessarily mean a food which is acid 
in itself, for many of the sour foods, like lemons and 
grapefruit, are excellent alkali-producers in the body. 
An alkali-producing food is one which during the changes 
it undergoes in the body causes the blood stream to 
maintain its healthful alkalinity. It is said that nothing 
very serious will be amiss with us, along the line of con- 
tagious diseases, if we keep the blood alkaline. This 
accounts for the beneficial effect of a glass of lemonade at 
the beginning of a cold; the lemon promotes alkalinity 
of the blood, and the hot drink promotes perspiration, 
which also makes for carrying off the acids. 

Another point to be noted about the alkali-producing 
foods is that they are needed to correct the acids generated 
by protein foods. This is one of the dangers of the high- 
protein diet, that it causes the formation of poisonous 
acids in the blood. All protein foods, with the exception 
of milk, produce acids in the body, hence all of these foods 
need to be balanced by the kind which produce alkali. 
These are chiefly the fruits and the vegetables. If this 
balance is attended to there will be small danger from a 
diet reasonably high in protein. 

Minerals 

A further essential in the diet is minerals. We have 
heard and read a great deal during recent years regard- 
ing mineral starvation, and it is unquestionably true that 
unless we look out for the presence of certain minerals in 
our diet, we shall suffer from malnutrition as surely as if 



THE BALANCED MEAL 123 

we were amongst the famine-stricken sufferers from in- 
sufficient food. The worst of mineral starvation is that 
we may eat a great plenty, and of seemingly excellent 
food, yet lack proper nourishment. This lack will mani- 
fest itself in decayed teeth, in lack of muscular endurance, 
and in liability to disease and poor resistance to it. So 
important is it that minerals should be definitely looked 
out for in the diet, that we have reversed the old saying, 
which was that if we provided the right balance of pro- 
tein and calories, the minerals would take care of them- 
selves, and we now go so far as to say that if we provide 
the right balance of minerals in the diet the protein 
and calories may (almost) be trusted to take care of 
themselves. 

The human body needs the following minerals : calcium, 
phosphorus, potassium, sulfur, sodium, chlorin, magnesium, 
and iron. Some of these it may be trusted to get in 
sufficient amount in an ordinary mixed diet, but there are 
three in particular which scientists tell us are lacking to 
a dangerous extent in the everyday diet of well-to-do 
American families. These three are phosphorus, iron, 
and calcium. The lack of these in the diet is mainly due 
to the over highly-refined processes of manufacture of 
many of our foods. For instance, whole wheat, includ- 
ing the bran, contains all three of these minerals, but 
fine white flour lacks them; molasses, beloved in the cook- 
ing of our grandmothers, contains phosphorus, refined 
granulated sugar does not; and so on. It therefore be- 
comes necessary, just because of our over-refinement and 
fastidiousness, to provide specially for the minerals 
which were furnished by the foods in a more natural 
state. 



124 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS 

Vitamines 

One more very important essential of the balanced diet 
is the vitamines. These curious and little understood 
substances are necessary to life, growth, and health. 
At least two different vitamines have been discovered; 
one, which is known as fat-soluble ''A," is soluble in cer- 
tain fats. This is essential to growth, and is therefore 
important for children, yet is no less important for 
grown-ups, for a disease of the eyes is produced by its 
lack, also other systemic and nervous disorders. The 
other, soluble in water, is known as water-soluble "B"; 
and lack of this causes scurvy, etc. 

The importance of the vitamines to life and health has 
been demonstrated by experiments in which birds, small 
mammals, and man himself have been the subjects, and 
it was found that certain dread diseases, such as beri- 
beri, pellagra, zerophthamia, scurvy, and even death, 
have been brought about by giving a diet which appeared 
to be both ample and varied, but which lacked vitamines. 
The discovery of these substances has been said to 
revolutionize the science of dietetics. 

Perhaps some reader, maybe a student who has groaned 
over her practice meals, or a teacher whom those same 
practice meals have burdened almost beyond endurance, 
or a woman in the home who wishes to serve balanced 
meals to her family, but who is so exasperated by the 
effort needed to do so that she renounces the ambition 
forever — will now say that if so many essentials are to 
be provided for in balanced meals, she will be unable to 
plan them; she will refuse to bestow a thought on the 
matter; she will neither desire nor attempt what to her 
seems the impossible. 



THE BALANCED MEAL 125 

To such a one let me reply that our present balancing 
of meals does not call for any painful mathematical ex- 
actness. Above all, we no longer calculate our calories 
to the first decimal place, nor in anything but round num- 
bers not much smaller than half a hundred. A little 
more or less protein is nothing to bother about; and as 
for the minerals and vitamines and alkali-formers, we 
simply 'Mump them in" with a liberal hand and let it 
go at that. If the following suggestions are carried out 
less than five minutes will be needed to balance the 
meals for a day. 

Plan your menus as you usually do. Then glance at 
the tables on pages 127 to 134 and see that the foods listed 
are well represented, particularly the foods which yield 
alkali; which contain the vitamine '^ A"; and which furnish 
the three minerals, phosphorus, iron, and calcium. 

This is all, and nobody who has tried it has found it 
very burdensome. Unless you feel troubled about the 
protein or calories, or fieel the need of assurance as to 
whether you have excess or deficiency, you need not 
balance them for every day, but merely foot up totals 
once a week or once a month. 

For the benefit of those who have to plan for large 
numbers, or for numbers exceeding ten or twelve, the 
figures are given in the tables for, respectively, protein 
content; number of calories; weight in grams of the 
three important minerals; and proportion of alkali-form- 
ing substances. 

A sample of balanced meals for one day, showing its 
analysis, will be found on pages 135 and 136. 



THE BALANCED MEAL 127 

TABLE I 

PROTEIN 

Each of the following foods, in the quantities given, yields 
approximately one-fourth ounce of protein. The number of 
calories yielded by the same portion is stated in the column to 
the right. 

Beans, baked, one-half cupful 150 

Beans, fresh Lima, cooked, three-fourths cupful 150 

Bread, Boston Brown, one good-sized slice, wt. 2 oz. . . . 150 

Bread, light white, two good slices, wt. 114 oz. each . . . 175 

Bread, whole- wheat, two slices, wt. 1 oz. each 150 

Cake, average of all makes, wt. 3 to 4 oz 300-400 

Cereal, cooked ready to serve, one cupful 200 

Cheese, cottage, one-fourth cupful, or a piece about the 

size of an egg 200 

Cheese, hard, a cube of about one and one-fourth inches, 

wt. nearly 1 oz 125 

Eggs, one egg of average size, wt. 2 oz 80 

Fish, fresh, cooked, one generous helping, wt. 3 to 4 oz. . 150 
Meat, cooked, butcher's or poultry, free from bone and 

fat, one ordinary helping, wt. 3 oz. . 100 

Milk, whole, one cupful 150 

Nuts, average, shelled, 25 to 30 almonds or pecans, or 12 

to 14 walnuts, whole, wt. 4 oz 500 

Oysters, five good-sized 80 

Peas, canned or fresh cooked, three-fourths cup, wt. 6 oz. 150 

Zwieback, seven to eight, wt. 2}^ to 3 oz 300 

From this table it will be seen that if the breakfast consisted of an 
ordinary helping of one-half cup of cereal, with the addition of one- 
haK cup of milk, two slices of whole-wheat bread, and one egg, the 
meal would yield three-fourths ounce of protein. For luncheon, a 
sUce of cold meat, two slices of bread, and a glass of milk with a 
good piece of cake, would yield something more than three-fourths 
ounce protein. For dinner, a helping of fish or meat, with bread, 
and a bit of cheese with the dessert, would complete the daily require- 
ment of protein, that is, two and one-half ounces for the adult man. 

Some other foods than those listed are also estimated to contain 
protein, but in very small amounts, and not always of a kind that 
is readily made use of by the body. Only comparatively few pro- 
tein foods are wholly digested and assimilated by the body — hence 
the need of a moderately liberal allowance. 



128 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS 

TABLE II 

CALORIES 

One pound of each of the following foods and classes of foods, 
yields approximately the amount of calories averaged in round 
numbers stated in the column to the right. The estimation is 
made on the basis of the foods as purchased, without allowance 
for waste or refuse where this may occur in the process of prep- 
aration for the table. 

Beans or peas, dried 1600 

Breads and breadstuff s, such as muffins, rolls, etc. . . . 1200 

Butter, 2 cups in 1 lb 3600 

Cereals (breakfast) 1600 

Cheese, cottage 

Cheese, hard 2000 

Eggs, 8 in 1 lb. . 650 

Fish, fat, e. g., salmon, mackerel, eel, trout, shad, halibut, 

etc 500 

Fish, lean, e. g., bass, codfish, haddock, flounder, perch, etc. 200 

Fruits, fresh 200 

Fruits, dried 1400 

Honey, strained, 1}^ cups in 1 lb 1500 

Meats 1000 

MiUv, 2 cups in 1 lb 325 

Molasses, 2 cups in 1 lb 1200 

Nuts 1500 

Olive oil and other pure fats 4000 

Potatoes, 3 to 4 in 1 lb 300 

Sugar, 2 cups in 1 lb 1850 

Vegetables, green 150 

Vegetables, root 170 

For convenience in calculation, the 100-calorie portion of the fol- 
lowing foods is appended. 

Butter, one small ball or cube, weighing 3^ oz. 

Honey, two tablespoonfuls 

Milk, about three-fourths of a standard measuring-cup 

Molasses, two generous tablespoonfuls 

Sugar, two scant tablespoonfuls 

In estimating the dietary, after the calories yielded by the protein 
food have been taken into account, the remainder of the calorific re- 
quirement should be made up from, preferably, non-protein foods. 
Fruit and sugar may be added to the breakfast; a green salad with 
a dressing of oil or butter, to the luncheon, also fruit and vegetables; 
and to the dinner, butter, vegetables, a sweet course, etc. 



THE BALANCED MEAL 



129 



TABLE III 

ALKA.LI-FORMING FOODS 

The following foods, during metabolism, or changes in the 
body, yield an excess of alkali-forming substances which is 
represented by the figures following each. 

Apricots 
Apples . 
Beets . . 
Cabbage 
Carrots , 
Cauliflower 
Celery . 
Cucumbers 
Dates . . . 
Figs, dried 
Grape juice 
Lettuce . . 
Lemons . . 
Milk . . . 
Molasses . 
Muskmelon 

As a general rule it may be said that all vegetables except 
peas, beans, and lentils, are alkali-formers; and all fruits, whether 
fresh, dried, or canned, except prunes, plums, and cranberries. 
These are objected to by some authorities as producing acid, 
rather than alkaline conditions in the body. 

Acid-forming foods are chiefly the high-protein foods, such as 
meat, fish, eggs, etc., also cereals. 

Neutral foods are the sugars, the highly refined starches like 
cornstarch, sago, tapioca, arrowroot, etc. 

While excess of acid-forming food is hurtful to the body, 
there is no harm produced by an excess of the alkali-forming 
food, but rather good, since it keeps the blood stream allvaline. 
It is safe then to allow liberal amounts of fruits, fresh vegetables, 
and milk in the diet. 



11 


Olives .... 


. . 18 


6 


Onions .... 


. . 31 


23 


Oranges. . . . 


. 11 


18 
24 


Parsnips . . . 
Peaches. . . . 


. . 18 
. 12 


17 


Pears 


. 5.6 


42 
45 


Pineapple . . . 
Potatoes . . . 


. . 15 

. . 8 


3.2 
32 


Pumpkins . . . 
Radishes . . . 


. 7 
. 9 


4 


Raisins .... 


. . 6 


38 
12 


Spinach. . . . 
Tomatoes . . . 


. . 113 
. . 24 


3 
20 


Turnips. . . . 
Watermelons . 


. . 7 

. . 8 


19 







130 



BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS 



TABLE IV 

THE MINERALS: PHOSPHORUS 

It has been estimated that the amount of phosphorus needed 
daily (in its combination with oxygen in the form P2O5) is about 
2.75 grams. Its weight in grams in one pound of each of the 
following foods is as follows. 













A X • ■! It. Amt. required to 
Amt. in 1 lb. furnish 2 . 75 gms. 


Almonds 3.9 gms. 11.0 oz. 


Barley, pearl 








2.3 ' 


19.0 " 


Barley, whole 








4.3 ' 


10.5 " 


Beans, dried . 








5.0 ' 


9.0 " 


Cheese, cottage 








2.3 ' 


19.0 " 


Cheese, hard. 








6.5 ' 


6.7 " 


Eggs, whole 










1.6 ' 


' 13-14 eggs 


yolk 










4.5 ' 


' 6- 7 yolks 


white 














Figs, dried 










1.5 ' 


29.0 oz. 


Meat or fish 










2.0 ' 


22.0 '; 


Molasses . 










1.3 ' 


' One pint 


Oatmeal . 










4.0 ' 


11.0 oz. 


Parsnips . 










0.86 ' 


' Three pounds 


Peanuts . . 










4.0 ' 


11.0 " 


Peas, dried . 










4.0 ' 


11.0 " 


Raisins . . 










1.3 ' 


' One pound 


Walnuts . 










3.5 ' 


12.5 oz. 


Wheat bran 










13.0 ' 


3.5 " 


Whole wheat 










4.0 ' 


11.0 " 



It will thus be seen that it may be easy to fall short of the 
required amount of this element in the ordinary diet, unless it 
is specifically looked out for. 

Other foods, milk, many fruits, especially pineapple, also 
root vegetables, etc., contain phosphorus, but in smaller amount 
than the foods listed. 



THE BALANCED MEAL 



131 



TABLE V 

THE MINERALS: IRON 

It has been estimated that the amount of iron needed daily is 
about fifteen milligrams, 0.015 gram. The number of milligrams 
of iron in one pound of each of the following foods is as follows. 



Amt. in 1 lb. 

Beans, dried 030 gm. 

Dandelion 

and other greens . . .012 

Dates 013 

Eggs 012 

Figs 014 

Graham bread 015 

Oatmeal 016 

Peas, dried 025 

Prunes 010 

Raisins 025 

Spinach 014 

Wholewheat 020 



Amt. needed to 
furnish 0.015 mg. 

8.0 oz. 

20.0 " 

18.0 " 

10 eggs 

17.0 oz. 

lib. 

1 lb., nearly 

9.5 oz. 
13^ lbs. 

9.5 oz. 
A little over 1 lb. 
3^ lb. 



Many other foods contain iron, especially the red meats, 
which on analysis are found to contain a great deal of this ele- 
ment. But the iron in meats is in inorganic form, and though 
this may be of use in sparing the organic iron of the body, it 
cannot be relied on to perform the same function as the iron in 
more assimilable form. Hence the foods listed should be our 
chief reliance. 

Milk contains a very small amount of iron, so small as to be 
almost negligible, but its iron is in a very good form. 



132 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS 

TABLE VI 

THE MINERALS: CALCIUM 

It has been estimated that the amount of calcium needed 
daily is perhaps one gram, in the form of the salt, CaO. The 
number of grams of this in one pound of each of the following 
foods is as follows. 

. , . ^ „ Amt. needed to 

Amt. in 1 lb. furnish 1 gm. calcium 

Ahnonds 1.3 gms, 12.3 oz. 

Beans, dried 0.9 " 17.7 " 

Cauliflower 0.75 " 21.3 " 

Cheese, cottage . . , 1.3 " 12.3 " 

Cheese, hard 4.5 *' 3.5 " 

Chives 0.9 '' 17.7 " 

Eggs 0.9 '' 8-9 eggs 

Milk 0.76 " 21.0 oz. 

Molasses 4.0 " }4 cup 

Peas, dried 0.6 " 26.5 oz. 

Turnip tops 0.9 " 17.7 " 

Water cress 1.1 " Less than 1 lb. 

Wheat bran 0.06 " 26.5 oz. 

It is evident from the above table that it is not difficult to 
furnish the required amount of calcium in the daily diet, for if 
at least one pint of milk is provided for every adult this will 
yield very nearly the single gram of calcium required, and what 
is lacking may be safely assumed will be furnished by other 
foods. But if milk is not furnished, it may be easy to miss out 
on a sufficiency of calcium. 



THE BALANCED MEAL 



133 



TABLE VII 

Foods Containing Vitamine " A " Foods Deficient in Vitamine " A " 



Beef fat 

Butter 

Cereal grains, whole 

Cheese 
*Cream 

*Eggs, especially yolk 
*Grains, sprouted 
*Kidneys 
*Lettuce 
*Liver 

Olio oils from beef fat 
*Peas and beans, if sprouted 
*Spinach and other edible 

greens 
*Sweetbreads 

Yeast 



Cereal grains, if highly milled 

Corn syrup 

Cornstarch, corn flour 

Lard 

Molasses 

Nuts 

Olive oil, and all vegetable 

oils 
Pork 
Sterilized milk, butter, cheese, 

or cream 
Tapioca, sago, arrowroot 
*Turnips, carrots, and similar 

root vegetables 
White rice 



The foods in the foregoing lists marked * contain also the 
vitamine ''B." 

Ordinary domestic cooking does not impair the efficiency of 
the vitamine ''A," nor does ordinary home canning, nor does 
cold storage under five months, nor does pasteurizing. But 
salted and dried meats lose it, even when the drying is done at 
a low temperature. 

Yet it should be expressly noted that foods from which this 
vitamine is absent need not therefore be rejected, and find no 
place in the menu. All that is needed is to accompany them by 
some food which contains it. For instance, salt pork and boiled 
greens is a good combination ; so may be a tapioca or cornstarch 
pudding served with cream, or with a custard sauce. It will 
also be found on referring to other tables, that foods on the wrong 
side of this will be found rich in some other essential of the diet; 
molasses, for instance, is listed as a source of phosphorus and 
alkali, though it lacks vitamines. 



134 



BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS 



TABLE VIII 
Foods Containing Vitamine " B " Foods Deficient in Vitamine " B *' 



Canned meats 

Cereal grains, when dried 

Corn syrup 

Fruits, when dried 

Molasses 

Potatoes, if dried 

Starch of any grain 

Vegetables of all kinds, if dried 



Apples 

Berries 

Grains, when sprouted 

Lettuce and other greens 

Lime juice 

Meats and fish, when fresh 

Melons 

Milk and cream, when fresh 

Peas and beans, when fresh 

Plums and all fresh fruits 

Potatoes and other tubers 

Sauerkraut 

Tomatoes, eggplant, and other 

succulents 
Turnips, carrots, onions, and 

other roots 
Vegetables of all kinds, when 

fresh 

Since this vitamine is soluble in water, it is easy to lose much 
of it in the cooking of vegetables when the water is poured away 
without any attempt to save it for use in some fashion. To 
bake or steam vegetables, or to cook them in the smallest possi- 
ble amount of water and scrupulously to utiUze this water as 
the basis for sauce or soup, is to ensure the saving of the valuable 
vitamines which is the truest economy. 

Neither should soda be used in the cooking of fruits or vegeta- 
bles, since this is destructive to the vitamine, but acids do not 
hurt it, and are rather believed to help to preserve it. Its pres- 
ence in sauerkraut and in lime juice is proof of this. 

Again it should be noted that the foods deficient in this prin- 
ciple need not be totally excluded from the diet, if it is provided 
in sufficient measure by foods which contain it. 



THE BALANCED MEAL 135 

SAMPLE OF BALANCED MENUS 
(By permission of S. M. L. M.) 

Breakfast 

Grapefruit 

Cracked Wheat. Whole Milk 

Scrambled Eggs with Spinach on 

Graham Toast 

Luncheon 

Cabbage Salad (Lettuce, Celery, Almonds) 

Sour Dressing 

Oatmeal Muffins. Butter 

Cocoa 

Dinner 

Cream of Potato Soup 

Sliced Beef Loaf. Horseradish Sauce 

Stuffed Baked Potatoes (Milk, Cheese) 

Steamed Dandelions 

Whole- Wheat Rolls. Butter 

Rhubarb and Raisin Pie 

Coffee. Cream 



136 



BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS 



ANALYSIS OF MENU 



Breakfast 

Grapefruit . . . 

Whole wheat . 

Milk 

Eggs 

Spinach .... 

Graham bread . 
Dinner 

Soup — milk . 

Potatoes . . . 

Beef 

Cheese .... 

Dandelions . . 

Whole wheat . 

Butter .... 

Rhubarb . . . 

Raisins .... 

Cream .... 
Luncheon 

Lettuce .... 

Cabbage . . . 

Celery .... 

Almonds . . . 

Dressing — eggs 

Oatmeal . . . 

Butter .... 

Cocoa — milk . 



Pro- 
tein 



AlkaU 



Phos- 
phorus 



Cal- 
cium 



Iron 



Vita. 

"A" 



Vita. 
"B" 



Totals . 



24 



11 



12 



10 



9 



11 



16 



14 



Here it will be seen that half of the food is alkali-forming; 
more than half yields the important vitamine "A" and the pro- 
portion of all three minerals is high. Also, milk and greens, 
called by Dr. E. V. McCollum of Johns Hopkins, on account of 
their high vitamine content, ''the two protective foods," are 
present in all three meals. 



THE BALANCED MEAL 137 

When these essentials are provided for it is not diffi- 
cult to get the balance of protein and calories correct. By 
referring to Table I it will be found that, assuming each 
person to have during the day 

1 egg . 3 oz. beef 

3 cups milk 6 oz. bread 

1 oz." cheese 3^ cup cooked cereal 

the sum of these foods would yield more than two ounces 
of protein, and 1655 calories. Butter, cream, fruit, vege- 
tables, and sugar, most of which form part of the 
average daily diet, would assuredly make up the calorific 
requirement. 

Thus it should be evident that it is not a difficult 
matter to balance the daily meals. If they are balanced 
in the qualitative fashion illustrated above, for merely 
one week, the housewife will have learned the tables 
sufficiently to know them pretty well by heart, and in 
planning her menus she will find herself able to provide 
the essentials without referring to the tables. If every 
woman looked after the balance of nutrients it would mean 
much in the nutrition of the family. It has further been 
experienced by those who have tried it that well-balanced 
meals are more satisfying, at the same cost, than those 
are where the balance has not been attended to. 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 






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3RARY OF CONGRESS 



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